Dawson & Bennett on Jamaica's recovery: bookings rebound, Sunwing launches "verified" hotel program

Jamaica's tourism sector is showing strong signs of recovery following Hurricane Melissa, with infrastructure largely restored and hotel inventory steadily returning to market as the destination heads into peak winter season.

In a virtual interview with PAX this week, Andrew Dawson, president of Sunwing Vacations Group and Angella Bennett, regional director of Canada for the Jamaica Tourist Board, shared positive updates on the island's recovery timeline. 

"I'm happy to share that after this incredibly devastating hurricane the stabilization is advancing very quickly," Bennett said.

Critical infrastructure has been largely restored across the island's key tourism areas. 

"We're seeing stabilization of electricity, especially in the resort areas. That is back to 100 per cent," said Bennett. 

"We're seeing stabilization in water supply as well as telecommunications. Those are back in the main resort areas of Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Negril."

Beyond the main resort zones, recovery is progressing across the broader island. 

"For the rest of the island, collectively, 76 per cent of those critical infrastructures are back," she said, adding that "our three main airports, including Montego Bay Airport, where most of our arrivals for tourism happen, have been fully up and running since days after the hurricane."

Hotel inventory assessment

The hurricane's impact on hotel properties has been significant but manageable, with operators working to bring damaged properties back online through the winter and spring. 

Several major properties remain closed, including the Secrets Group properties (Secrets Wild Orchard and Secrets St. James), which sustained extensive damage. 

Royalton properties will undergo renovations into summer 2026, while Catalonia Montego Bay and Bahia Principe are also temporarily out of service.  

"Those are the properties that we have taken out of the inventory. I would say it's about 3,000 [rooms] inventory altogether," said Bennett.

However, many properties experienced minimal damage and are welcoming guests. 

"On the positive side, we do have the Riu hotels. We are able to welcome many Canadians into that product. Their damage was very minimal. We're working to have six of those properties up and running," Bennett said. 

Bennett also noted that three Iberostar properties in Montego Bay are open, along with Ocean Eden Bay, H10 properties and Moon Palace in Ocho Rios.

"We are sitting with a good amount of inventory to take us through the winter with continuous renovations and restoration," she said.

Looking ahead to spring, Bennett projected that by May, at least 70 per cent of the island's hotel inventory should be back in the market for full booking. 

Booking trends stabilizing

Dawson and Bennett also provided insight into booking patterns and cancellations following the hurricane. 

While the holiday period showed some impact, the outlook for late winter appears stable.

"For January, we are at about 26% cancelled across all partners in Canada," said Bennett. 

She added that the period from late January through April has remained remarkably stable with minimal cancellations.

"We can safely say that anyone that has their booking in January through April, they have not felt the need to cancel," Bennett said.

More encouragingly, new bookings are beginning to offset cancellations.

"For the first time, we're net positive this week," said Dawson. 

"We've actually taken more bookings -- new bookings -- than we've cancelled. We're almost touching the same year on year."

Hotels are supporting the recovery effort with attractive pricing. 

"They know that at Sunwing and WestJet, we've restarted flights. They're giving us great deals to really incentivize people to come back," Dawson noted.

Quality assurance measures

To ensure traveller confidence, Sunwing has implemented a verification program for reopening properties. 

"For every hotel that we've opened, we've had our product team that liaise with the hoteliers, they've been down to actually look at it, inspect it and make sure that it's a product that meets the expectations of our travellers," said Dawson.

"Every hotel as it opens will get a 'verified Jamaica' stamp that shows that we've seen it."

For the full list of Sunwing Verified hotels, visit sunwingagents.ca.

The pace of hotel reopenings is also accelerating. 

Dawson said that as of last week, 30 per cent of properties were open, but December 1 represents a significant milestone when many additional hotels will reopen, bringing the total to well over half of available inventory. 

Agent education and support 

Travel advisors are being given firsthand experience of the destination's recovery through FAM trips starting in early December 

"WestJet, on the direction of Sunwing, has given us seats for the agents to go down," said Bennett. 

"Our travel agents get to see the product, so that they are our first testament in the market to say that it is as Sunwing has said: It's verified, it's certified and it's ready to be sold."

The Jamaica Tourist Board has also launched additional support initiatives. 

Bennett highlighted that the JTB is partnering with Harmonies of Hope to host a benefit concert supporting recovery efforts on December 10, 2025, at Meridian Arts Centre in North York, Ontario. 

Additionally, the JTB announced a new edition of its "Irie Hour" web series starting December 2, called "Road to Recovery," featuring the JTB's team in Jamaica and local suppliers. 

"We are providing all the information agents need. We provide a weekly update of all the properties that are open, all the attractions and transportation companies that are open, tour operators that are open," said Bennett. 

"Their clients are going to be happy and comfortable."

In support of Jamaica’s recovery, between December 1-14, Sunwing is donating $100 for every package booking for two made to Jamaica. 

During this period, our partner NexusTours will also contribute $40 for every Jamaican excursion booked. Click here for details.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.