M
ONTEGO BAY, St James — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has outlined an ambitious plan to reimagine Montego Bay as a premier visitor destination in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, and using the transformation of that resort town as a national model for Jamaica’s post-disaster growth and renewal.

Bartlett was speaking Wednesday night at a celebration of the city of Montego Bay where CEO of S Jamaica Christopher Issa hosted a reception marking the global recognition of S Hotel Montego Bay, which was recently voted the number one all-inclusive hotel in the Caribbean by
USA Today.

Another Jamaican property, Sunset at the Palms in Negril, also earned high honours, finishing fourth in that poll.

“I wanted to make the point tonight of the reimagining of the Montego Bay waterfront as a critical point of departure and indeed, as an important part of repositioning destination Montego Bay post-Melissa,” Bartlett told the gathering.

“It is about redefining the elegant corridor and to extend it all the way to Falmouth,” added Bartlett.

Providing insight into how that vision is being shaped, Bartlett disclosed that high-level planning discussions were already underway.

CEO of S Jamaica Christopher Issa celebrating S Hotel Montego Bay team following the hotel’s recent achievement of three major international awards.

“[Thursday] I meet with one of the most celebrated architects in the world, a Jamaican, to discuss the thoughts and ideas of reimagining from — and really listen to this carefully — reimagining from the cruise terminal to Falmouth and on the waterfront. And that thinking is about how to enable a new experience of Montego Bay,” said Bartlett.

He said the Montego Bay initiative is fully aligned with the national recovery strategy outlined by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.

“The prime minister gave us the charge, and he said that post-Melissa is going to be a new Jamaica, a redefined Jamaica with new vistas for growth and development and a new perspective on who we are as a people and as a country. And we are excited that Montego Bay is going to lead the way in that regard,” added Bartlett as he declared that the transformation will be wide-ranging and inclusive.

“You will see thereafter, a new look, an exciting look; it is not about the hip strip alone, and we will be having consultations. Chris [Issa], you and the hip strip team, [will] absolutely be brought into the mainstream of the discussion. Mayor [of Montego Bay Richard Vernon], you and your team, [will be] fully in the mainstream of the discussion, but it’s more than that,” Bartlett said.

He argued that while Hurricane Melissa, which hit Jamaica on October 28, 2025, represented a significant challenge to Jamaica’s tourism industry, it was one of many disruptions the sector has successfully endured.

“The last 50 years we have had more than 15 disruptions which have impacted and have, in many ways, threatened to eviscerate tourism in the way that we knew it and understand, but in every instance the resilience of the industry has overtaken the disruptions, and we not only recovered, but we recovered stronger, and we grew exponentially in every respect thereafter,” Bartlett said.

He added that this resilience was once again on full display following the storm.

“It is that resilience that enabled us, within eight weeks after Melissa, to welcome 450,000 visitors to Jamaica and earn US$474 million for the people,” Bartlett added.

The tourism minister praised Issa’s leadership and contribution to Jamaica’s tourism product and declared that S Hotel Montego Bay, which officially opened in January 2019, continues to serve as a flagship example of Jamaican excellence within the global tourism marketplace.

“Chris is the epitome of culture,” Bartlett said as he argued that the spirit of culture and innovation was reflected in the international accolades earned by S Hotel.

“And that’s why tonight we are celebrating the world recognition of the S concept, as being in the top 10 recognised,” said Bartlett.

For his part, Issa praised the exceptional performance of the S Hotel Montego Bay team following the hotel’s recent achievement of three major international awards within two months after Melissa.

These included recognition from
Condé Nast as the Most Romantic Hotel in the Americas; the World Travel Awards for Best Hotel for Meetings and Events in Jamaica on December 2; and most recently,
USA Today’s award for Best All-Inclusive Resort in the Caribbean.

While celebrating the team’s success and resilience, Issa cautioned that greater achievements bring higher expectations and increased scrutiny.

He reminded the S Hotel team of the importance of remaining focused, disciplined, and committed to excellence as the hotel continues to rise.

Meanwhile, Mayor Vernon lauded S Hotel for copping its latest award.

“I congratulate S Hotel on its recognition among the Best All-Inclusive Hotels in the Caribbean for 2026. In fact, S Hotel was voted number one. Achievements like this spotlight Montego Bay, but the brightest light comes from our people — from the artistes whose songs become the city’s soundtrack and from the everyday performers who keep our culture vibrant a yard and abroad ,” Vernon said.

A beaming Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon welcoming plans for the repositioning of the city and the global recognition of S Hotel Montego Bay, which was recently voted the number one all-inclusive hotel in the Caribbean by USA Today. Philp Lemonte