MONTEGO BAY, St James — Pulling out all the stops to help the tourism sector get back up and running, the St James Municipal Corporation will fast-track building approvals as hotels repair damage done by Hurricane Melissa.

“We took the step of ensuring that we get the hotels back on track quickly because this is a significant economic lifeline for the city of Montego Bay. In meeting with them we had an agreement as to how we will approach the restoration of the hotels in an orderly, safe and effective manner,” Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said Thursday during a media briefing after a meeting of the local Emergency Operations Centre.

“We will be doing special meetings to approve building submissions from the hotels to ensure that they get back on stream and in business quickly so that they can employ our citizens here in Montego Bay and across St James,” he added.

Local authorities have to green-light building plans related to significant changes. This includes additions to buildings and even demolitions. The process is typically a lengthy one so the promise to fast-track the applications is significant.

Vernon also used the meeting to appeal to hotels that are in a position to do so to keep workers on the job. He urged them to emulate Sandals Resorts.

“With the hotels hard hit, many of them are out of operation. Some opted to keep their staff and I commend them for that. I met with Sandals yesterday and Sandals decided to keep all their staff and we are happy for that,” he declared.

“They will be paid their base and some will be paid gratuity. That is a very good move and if other hotels can do that we encourage them to do so,” the mayor said.

He noted that the western city is home to a large chunk of employees of the tourism sector.

“Montego Bay has 30 per cent of all the rooms in the country so you can imagine the level of employment that is generated through the tourism sector by the hotels only — not to mention the craft, the tours, you name it,” he said.

A number of hotels have already indicated that their operations were impacted and have announced dates in 2026 for reopening their doors.

On Thursday Vernon sought to underscore the importance of tourism to Jamaica, explaining that it is the baseline of the country’s economic activity, generating 30 per cent of gross domestic product and 25 per cent of employment at a national level.

“In Montego Bay, tourism accounts for over 50 per cent of our economic activity and over 50 per cent of employment,” the mayor said.

“It is also important that we revitalise the tourism sector coming out of this disaster because it speaks to our ability to maintain the cruise shipping industry, to the airlines that are doing business in Jamaica so that we do not lose them to our competitors in Dominican Republic and Mexico and those places; because they are ready and waiting and we are very much aware of that,” he said.

“We have to do what needs to be done economically, locally in Montego Bay to ensure that we revitalise tourism… and get our people back to work,” Vernon declared.