Jamaica rushes to rebuild for tourism season

Jamaica’s peak tourism season is one month away, and officials in the hurricane-ravaged nation are rushing to rebuild from the catastrophic Category 5 storm that shredded the island’s western region.

- By JoHN MYERs JR.

BLACK RIVER in western Jamaica is one of the regions torn apart by Melissa.

(MATIAS DELACROIX Associated Press)

Before Hurricane Melissa hit on Oct. 28, the government expected Jamaica’s tourism industry to grow by 7% this winter season and was preparing to welcome an estimated 4.3 million visitors.

Now, officials are scrambling to repair hotels and clear debris in the western half of the island in hopes of securing tourist dollars at a moment when they're needed the most.

“We are still doing our assessments, but most of the damage was in the northwest and southwest,” said Christopher Jarrett, who leads the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Assn.

He noted that the popular Negril area in Westmoreland was spared major damage.

All international airports in Jamaica have reopened and are receiving commercial flights. But almost a week after one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record struck the western end of Jamaica,