KINGSTON, Jamaica—Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has announced that all hotels are expected to be fully operational by December 2026, following the devastation caused to the sector by Hurricane Melissa.

Bartlett noted that while early stakeholder assessments had suggested that only about 80 per cent of rooms would be available, the recovery outlook has since improved.

“The energy and the ambitions have grown, and the reality now is that we will have all our 33,000 rooms available and active by December 2026,” Minister Bartlett said.

He was addressing the meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives at Gordon House on Friday where members were reviewing the 2026/27 Estimates of Expenditure.

Bartlett noted that, owing to the sector’s advanced hurricane recovery, the projected decline in gross annual earnings has improved from six per cent to three per cent, while visitor arrivals are expected to fall by only one per cent.

“In fiscal year 2026/27, the gross annual earnings are projected now at US$3.228 billion and would reflect only a three per cent decline from the year 2025/26, which was US$3.327 billion,” Minister Bartlett informed.

“For fiscal year 2026/27 the total visitor arrivals are expected to fall… one per cent…, ” he added.

The anticipated arrivals will include 2.278 million stopover tourists and 1.463 million cruise passengers, representing a 14.8 per cent increase in cruise traffic compared to last year.

-JIS