MINISTER of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has expressed gratitude to the island’s tourism partners, including two of Jamaica’s leading cruise tourism stakeholders, for their support of national relief efforts following Hurricane Melissa.

Bartlett comments come as the global tourism industry rallies in solidarity with the island during this period of recovery.

Through the Tourism Resilience Coordination Committee — “Jamaica Tourism Cares,” and with the support of the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), major partners Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group have made significant contributions to national recovery efforts being coordinated by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

Carnival Horizon made a special relief call to Ocho Rios on Tuesday, delivering thousands of essential supplies including bottled water, baby food, diapers, canned goods, cereal, and hygiene products.

Bartlett said that the shipment was handed over to ODPEM with the assistance of the Jamaica Tourism Cares team and Jamaican crew members aboard the vessel.

In the meantime, Carnival Corporation, in partnership with the Miami Heat basketball team, and the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, pledged US$1 million to the United States-based charity Direct Relief to bolster recovery efforts across the island.

Similarly, Royal Caribbean Group has pledged over US$1 million and delivered more than 34 pallets of essential supplies, including bottled water, non-perishable food, bedding, and medical kits, off-loaded in Falmouth to provide immediate relief to areas hardest hit by the storm.

In a media release on Friday Bartlett expressed heartfelt appreciation for the swift and generous response from the island’s tourism partners.

“We are deeply grateful to Carnival Cruise Line and our wider tourism partners for this generous donation of relief supplies to Jamaica. In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, our Jamaica Tourism Cares coordination committee has been engaging stakeholders across our key source markets to mobilise exactly this kind of support,” said Bartlett.

“These contributions bring immediate help to families and persons in need, including tourism workers, and signal to the world that our tourism family is standing with Jamaica. They also strengthen our ability to restore lives and livelihoods and help enable Jamaica to recover and emerge stronger and even more resilient,” added Bartlett.

Bartlett said in an effort to aid in the relief process, the Ministry of Tourism, through its public bodies the Tourism Product Development Company and the Tourism Enhancement Fund, has worked with local organisations and leaders to distribute the donated items to hurricane victims.

He pointed out that distribution began on Wednesday in Trelawny, St James and Hanover, with the process set to continue in the coming days.

According to Bartlett, these efforts form part of the wider national relief and recovery programme coordinated by ODPEM, ensuring alignment with national priorities and the transparent distribution of aid.

He pointed out that further initiatives will be intensified in the coming weeks under the Jamaica Tourism Cares banner to support especially tourism workers and their families affected by the hurricane.

“Tourism is not only about arrivals and revenues; it is about responsibility. Our partners have responded with speed and generosity, and together we are helping Jamaica and our people to heal, community by community, home by home,” Bartlett added.