'Book your ticket': Usain Bolt encourages travelers to visit Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa

“Book your ticket and come to Jamaica.” That’s the message from sprint legend Usain Bolt as Jamaica’s winter tourist season gets underway, just weeks after Hurricane Melissa disrupted parts of the island’s tourism belt.

Bolt, recently appointed Global Tourism Ambassador by the Jamaica Tourist Board, is urging travelers not to cancel plans, stressing that the country remains open, resilient, and eager to welcome visitors.

“We likkle but wi tallawah,” Bolt declared in a video appeal circulating online, using the popular Jamaican expression to emphasize national strength and perseverance. “Hurricane Melissa tested us but did not break us. Have you ever tried our food? Curry goat, jerk chicken, and the wonderful music, the awesome beaches. The best way to support us is to visit us.”

Tourism officials say the response so far has been encouraging. Jamaica welcomed more than 70,000 visitors in the first week of the winter season, a critical period for the island’s economy and a key driver of employment across hotels, attractions, transport, and small businesses.

The Best Way To Support Us Is To Visit Us 🇯🇲 #ChristmasInJamaica🇯🇲 pic.twitter.com/B5fZ9nFnCP

— Usain St. Leo Bolt (@usainbolt) December 23, 2025

Hurricane impact on tourism

Hurricane Melissa — a Category 5 storm that made landfall in late October — was one of the strongest in Jamaica’s history, ripping roofs off hotels, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and forcing major disruptions to travel and tourism infrastructure. Entire communities in the southwest and parts of the northcoast saw widespread destruction of homes, businesses and cultural sites. In the immediate days after the storm, both Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston temporarily suspended commercial operations and shifted to relief flights as the country assessed damage and began repairs. But less than six weeks later, the picture has changed dramatically. By December 15, 2025, Jamaica’s tourism sector had largely resumed full operations, with airports fully open, cruise ships returning to ports like Ocho Rios and Falmouth, and the bulk of hotel capacity back in service for the crucial winter season. Resorts that were closed immediately after the storm, including multiple Sandals properties, began phased reopenings in early December, and a growing list of hotels across Montego Bay, Negril, Ocho Rios and Kingston are now welcoming guests. According to Jamaica’s tourism officials, the combined return of flights, cruise calls and hotel inventory has helped generate strong travel momentum; more than 300,000 visitors have arrived on the island since Melissa struck, a benchmark the Jamaica Tourist Board and Minister of Tourism say reflects both demand and confidence in the destination’s recovery. Officials and industry leaders stress that tourism is central to Jamaica’s broader rebuilding effort — the sector accounts for a significant share of GDP and supports livelihoods from hospitality staff to tour guides and small vendors — and that continued arrivals will help communities nationwide recover more quickly.