Jamaica's $2 billion housing aid helps 1,500 tourism workers recover from Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica's Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced on Tuesday that the government's $2 billion Tourism Housing Assistance Recovery Programme (THARP) has successfully aided up to 1,500 tourism workers. These individuals suffered losses due to Hurricane Melissa, which devastated southwestern parishes last October.

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THARP prioritised employees in the most severely impacted parishes of St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James and Trelawny, and was open to both permanent and contract tourism workers, as well as self-employed individuals.

The THARP, established in December 2025 and funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), provided crucial support by offering non-repayable $100,000 grants and essential building materials. This assistance targeted tourism workers whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the hurricane.

Bartlett emphasized that the program prioritized employees in the most severely impacted parishes: St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, and Trelawny. The initiative was inclusive, welcoming applications from permanent and contract tourism workers, as well as self-employed individuals in the sector.

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I am pleased to share that to date some 1,500 tourism workers have received THARP vouchers – and we continue to review the applications of hundreds of others.

"THARP prioritised employees in the most severely impacted parishes... and was open to both permanent and contract tourism workers, as well as self-employed individuals," Bartlett stated during his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives. He highlighted that 1,500 workers have received THARP vouchers, with hundreds more applications under review, describing the effort as "compassion with structure" and "resilience with a human face."

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That is compassion with structure. That is care with coordination. That is resilience with a human face.

Beyond housing aid, the ministry also undertook a J$275 million clean-up operation funded by the TEF. This initiative focused on restoring physical tourism environments by clearing debris, managing vegetation, and improving key roadways. These efforts aimed to ensure safe visitor corridors, facilitate business reopenings, and rebuild confidence in Jamaica's tourism offerings.

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Those interventions helped restore safe, clean and accessible visitor corridors, supported the reopening of tourism-related businesses, and helped rebuild confidence in Jamaica’s tourism product.