Jamaica’s tourism industry is moving into full‐gear emergency mode as Hurricane Melissa approaches, with the country’s tourism leadership emphasizing readiness, coordination and visitor safety.
The island nation is facing a fast-moving and intensifying weather threat. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa has rapidly strengthened and is forecast to bring heavy rainfall, major storm surge along the southern coast and large destructive waves. The tourism sector’s preparedness framework is therefore timely and critical.
“Our ability to respond swiftly and effectively to crises is what continues to set Jamaica apart as a world-class destination,” Jamaican Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett stated. “Resilience has long been at the heart of Jamaica’s tourism success. We have learnt from experience that preparedness is the foundation of recovery.”
The Ministry of Tourism confirmed that the tourism sector’s crisis response apparatus is now activated in full:
- The industry’s dedicated Tourism Emergency Operations Centre (TEOC) has been placed on high alert, as of last Friday. The center will work in tandem with the National Emergency Operations Centre, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, the Meteorological Service of Jamaica and destination‐specific managers to coordinate visitor and resident safety measures.
- The minister emphasized Jamaica’s significant investment in disaster risk management across the tourism sector, noting that from hotels and attractions to transport providers and frontline staff, well-established protocols are in place to ensure both safety and service excellence.
The ministry noted that stakeholders across the tourism value chain (hotels, attractions, transport, staff) are already implementing internal preparedness plans, honed through years of training and past emergency activations.
“We have also maintained close contact with all our major airline partners, many of whom have facilitated additional flights and deployed larger aircraft to support the evacuation of their passengers. This coordinated effort underscores the strong partnerships that continue to define Jamaica’s tourism sector,” Bartlett added on Saturday.
“In the event that conditions necessitate, we have activated plans in collaboration with the JHTA to establish emergency shelter facilities for any visitors who may need to remain on the island during the passage of the storm. Additionally, the Tourism Emergency Operations Centre has been fully activated and is now operating as the communication nerve-centre for the industry. It will remain manned on a 24-hour basis to ensure the highest level of coordination, information sharing, and responsiveness until normalcy is fully restored.”
What Advisors Should Know:
- The activation of the TEOC means that visitor-facing tourism businesses in Jamaica will be working under enhanced operational protocols. Agents with clients currently in or booked to travel to Jamaica should monitor developments closely and liaise with their hotel and resort contacts for status updates.
- Given the mobilization with airlines and accommodation partners to arrange structured departures, agents with guests in-destination or due to arrive should review their bookings, check for possible early closures or evacuations and communicate contingencies.
Next Steps for Travel:
- Maintain frequent contact with in-destination partners (hotels, resorts, transport, attraction operators) and obtain detailed local readiness and contingency plans.
- For any guests en route or arriving soon, assess alternative plans: early departures, flexible transfers, local shelter protocols and insurance coverage.
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Monitor official updates closely (via ODPEM, Met Service, JTB) and coordinate messaging to clients
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After the storm passes, assess early signs of infrastructure/venue impact and latent operational disruptions (power, water, transport) before promoting travel.
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