Jamaica's recovery from Hurricane Melissa isn't slow and steady, officials said. It's been relatively swift.
Philip Rose
"The visitor experience is coming back fast," said Philip Rose, deputy director of tourism for the Jamaica Tourist Board, who said that around 30 to 40 hotels and resorts on the island are already welcoming guests and that Sangster Airport in Montego Bay -- the hardest hit of Jamaica's three international airports -- has largely resumed normal operations.
Rose also reported that the island's resort areas now have electricity and running water, and that local volunteers played a major role in clearing roads.
"We, along with all Jamaicans, recognize that tourism has to open back up," Rose said. "It is the driver of our economy, so there's no hesitation and no ambiguity there."
The Jamaica Tourist Board is resuming its marketing campaigns in the U.S., featuring messaging designed to remind travelers that "the things that made you fall in love with Jamaica in the first place are still very much there," said Rose.
"We don't want to send mixed messages and say that everything is as it was before Hurricane Melissa," he said, "but the core of who we are as a product and as a people is still very much there."
For example, social media content will showcase the "local heroes" contributing to the island's recovery and emphasize that the "best way to help Jamaica recover is to visit Jamaica."
"And in the case of the retail trade, the best way to help us recover is to still book Jamaica," Rose added.
Jamaica hotel reopenings
Although some hotels and resorts in Jamaica are up and running, many were heavily damaged by the storm and remain closed.
Among those that have closed, some have set December reopenings, but others won't reopen until next year. That includes Hyatt's Inclusive Collection, which has suspended operations and new bookings at its eight Montego Bay-area properties through January, and Sandals Resorts International's Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals South Coast properties, which won't reopen until May 30.
Rose credited many of the destination's hotel partners with delivering transparent updates, which he said helped to restore booking momentum and reduce cancellations.
"Obviously, we did see a lot of people shifting their dates," Rose said. "Yes, there's been a slowdown, but we anticipate that [bookings will] pick up as we articulate to the market our openness and readiness."
Sandals has communicated plans to upgrade its three most heavily damaged resorts while they are closed. While hosting a Nov. 13 virtual town hall with travel advisors, Sandals Resorts International executive chairman Adam Stewart said that the Sandals South Coast, Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Royal Caribbean will receive major improvements.
"We're going to take those resorts to a 2.0 level during this period of closure and fix some of the things that we've always wanted to do but haven't had the chance," Stewart said.
Stewart encouraged advisors to keep booking Jamaica, calling travel advisors "the most important part of our distribution."
"Every single time, and especially in these very difficult times, we will always, always rely on our travel advisor partners," he said.