Caribbean leaders used the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) annual Holiday Dinner & Fundraiser to underscore regional resilience and recommit to recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Speaking Friday night at Loews Coral Gables Hotel during CTO’s Caribbean Weekend in Miami, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett warned that the region has entered an era of unprecedented mega-storms and must move from symbolic resilience to measurable preparedness.
Just weeks after Hurricane Melissa, which meteorologists described as one of the most intense storms ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, Bartlett said preliminary assessments place Jamaica’s losses at between 28% and 32% of gross domestic product. Some international estimates, he added, exceed US$10 billion.
“Once again, the recovery of tourism will be the spearhead for the recovery of the nation,” Bartlett said, citing past recovery efforts following Hurricanes Ivan in 2004, Irma and Maria in 2017, and Dorian in 2019. “When tourism restarts, incomes return, hope returns, and dignity returns.”
Bartlett noted that travel and tourism account for more than 30% of GDP in several Caribbean states and exceed 60% in some of the region’s most tourism-dependent economies. In Jamaica, the sector directly and indirectly supports more than 300,000 jobs.
Referencing data from the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Bartlett said hurricanes caused an estimated US$136 billion in damage across the region between 1990 and 2008. He warned that two major storms in just two years — Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and Hurricane Melissa in 2025 — reflect a new climate reality.
“We need to build capacity, to not only foretell disruptions of this nature, but to be able to mitigate, to manage, to recover quickly, and to thrive afterwards,” Bartlett said. He pointed to the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which he co-founded in Jamaica, as a key regional and global resource.
Haiti’s recovery efforts were also highlighted during the event. Innocent Junior Richard, deputy chief of staff to Haiti’s Minister of Tourism John Herrick Dessources, told attendees that travel disruptions caused by the storm forced him to take two days instead of two hours to reach Miami.
“We want to let CTO know that we’re still alive, we’re still fighting,” Richard said.
He recalled Haiti’s experience with Hurricane Matthew in 2016, the devastating 2021 earthquake, and now Hurricane Melissa, emphasizing that the country refuses to be defined by disaster. “When Haitians say ‘Sak Pase,’ you (answer) ‘N’ap boule’ … (it means) we’re fighting and we continue to fight,” he said.
Richard thanked CTO and attendees for their support, urging contributions to recovery efforts. “I hope you (have) come with your check to contribute for Haiti and Jamaica … Merci anpil for your generosity. Haiti is back in CTO!” he said.
Bartlett also expressed gratitude to CTO and its partners for standing with both countries.
“The same seas that draw millions of visitors also carry storms of historic force. Yet in every season of adversity, one truth remains constant. The Caribbean rises. Our capacity to rise is not an occasional response, it is our way of being. That is what we mean when we speak of resilience,” he said. “Tonight my heart is full, and I’ve never (been) more proud of my Caribbean-ness.”
Earlier in the evening, CTO Chairman Ian Gooding-Edghill, who also serves as Barbados’ minister of tourism and international transport, emphasized regional unity.
“We’re coming together as one Caribbean family, united by our resilience, our creativity, and our shared hope for the future,” Gooding-Edghill said.
The fundraiser featured performances by Vincentian soca artist Kevin Lyttle, Jamaican reggae artists Shuga and Spragga Benz, and U.S. Virgin Islands steel pannist Stan Brown. Barbadian media personality Alex Jordan served as master of ceremonies.
Proceeds from the event will support tourism workers affected by Hurricane Melissa. Sponsors included Barbados as a gold sponsor; the U.S. Virgin Islands as a silver sponsor; and Antigua and Barbuda, the CTO Allied Board, and Dominica as bronze sponsors.
