The Regional Tourism Shift After Hurricane Melissa
The Caribbean tourism landscape is shifting rapidly in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, and Jamaica’s temporary slowdown is creating opportunities for others. The Dominican Republic (DR) has moved decisively to capture visitors who were originally headed to Jamaica and other impacted islands.
Tourism officials in the DR have already approved 800 additional flights—a mix of scheduled and charter services—to absorb the sharp increase in redirected travellers. According to Nairobi Santos, spokesperson for the Association of Hotels and Tourism in the DR, the country’s hotel sector has the capacity to comfortably handle the surge.
With the holiday season approaching, the DR is projecting hotel occupancy above 95%, signalling how aggressively they are taking advantage of this window.
The message from Héctor Porcella, President of the Civil Aviation Board, was blunt:
“All that tourism that was going to Jamaica—the Dominican Republic will benefit.”
