Stakeholders in east rally to support western tourism recovery
Published:Tuesday | November 18, 2025 | 12:07 AMGareth Davis Sr/Gleaner Writer
With the peak winter tourism season set to begin on December 15, stakeholders in Portland are rallying to support recovery efforts in the island’s western tourism belt, following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.
Hah-R-Mony Entertainment Limited, a tourism entertainment company, has mobilised resources to clear streets, support hotels and restore critical infrastructure.
Senior executive Garth Ramsay, a former Portland businessman, underscored the urgency of collective action.
“Tourism is the lifeblood of the economy and we have to do everything to protect it,” Ramsay told The Gleaner. “The [tourism] minister has given the commitment to our international partners that we will be back up and running by December 15, and we have to do our part to make this happen.”
Ramsay, who is part of Hah-R-Mony’s leadership team, said the company’s workers have removed debris and fallen trees, supported hotel properties along Montego Bay’s elegant corridor, and joined wider efforts to restore normalcy in tourism hubs. The corridor, a showcase roadway from Sangster International Airport to Iberostar Hotel, was designed to ensure visitors experience a well-lit, secure and attractive entry into the resort town.
While focusing on Montego Bay, Ramsay urged stakeholders from Port Antonio through Ocho Rios to Negril, and across Falmouth, to intensify clean-up operations so visitors encounter a resort environment ready for business.
Hah-R-Mony’s CEO Ho-Chi-Min Castillo Rolffot said 130 of Hah-R-Mony’s 450 employees have been deployed for street cleaning, with about 50 assisting daily in Montego Bay’s tourism district and nearby hotels.
He emphasised that private-sector support is crucial to complement Jamaica Public Service’s restoration of electricity in tourism zones.
“We can do this,” he said. “Once our visitors see that we are open for business, they will come.”
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett took the “open for business” message abroad. Speaking to Fox News last week, he assured international partners that Jamaica remains committed to a swift and safe return of tourism activities.
“Jamaica has weathered many storms, and Hurricane Melissa certainly tested our strength, but we are well on our way to recovery,” Bartlett said. “The best way to give back is to come back.”
Bartlett noted that two-thirds of Jamaica’s top destinations have already reopened. About 70 per cent of hotels are expected to be ready by December 15, with 80 per cent operational by January 2026. Full readiness across all departments is targeted for May 2026.
Port Antonio Mayor Paul Thompson and St Ann’s Bay Mayor Michael Belnavis urged other resort towns to match Hah-R-Mony’s vigour, stressing that revitalising Jamaica’s tourism arteries depends on public-private collaboration, swift debris removal and rapid restoration of essential services.
Entertainment and tourism leaders, including Sean Contractor Edwards of Tower Isle in St Mary, reinforced the unified strategy.
“An all hands-on-deck approach is the way forward,” Edwards told The Gleaner. “We can recover quickly if we all work together as a unified force.”
The staged reopening plan prioritises major tourism corridors, hotel districts and entertainment venues, with sanitation, debris clearance and electricity restoration as critical prerequisites. Stakeholders are urged to maintain transparent communication with the public, visitors and overseas partners to ensure a smooth and safe reopening.
Mayor Thompson added that Port Antonio, less damaged than other resort areas, is already prepared.
“We are open and ready to welcome visitors and showcase our tourism product,” he said.