In a bold message delivered directly to North America’s top travel advisors, Sandals Resorts International Executive Chairman Adam Stewart assured that Jamaica’s tourism heartbeat will not only recover from Hurricane Melissa — it will come back elevated.
Speaking on stage at CruiseWorld in Fort Lauderdale last Thursday, Stewart used the platform to mobilize support across the global travel industry, urging advisors to continue promoting Jamaica as their clients’ destination of choice.
“Tourism is the fastest transfer of wealth into these islands,” Stewart told the audience. “There’s no better way to help than to keep selling Jamaica.”
The message was not just one of motivation but also of concrete action. Stewart announced that Sandals’ most impacted properties — Sandals Montego Bay, Royal Caribbean, and South Coast — are undergoing a total transformation and are slated to reopen on May 30, 2026, showcasing upgrades that push the envelope of Caribbean luxury. Meanwhile, five other Sandals resorts with lesser storm impact are preparing to welcome guests once again by December 6.
The executive chairman didn’t delegate this message — he showed up in person. “My passport is Jamaican. I love Jamaica. We believe in its people, and we’re here to rebuild shoulder to shoulder,” he declared.
Beyond words, the company has committed real assets. Sandals has already contributed over US$3 million to relief operations, opened its aviation hangar for emergency logistics, and facilitated the airlift of 150,000 pounds of critical supplies into the country after chartering a flight that returned home Sandals guests left stranded during the storm — free of charge.
As for staff welfare, Stewart made it clear the company is intentionally delaying the reopening of five nearly ready properties to give employees on the island’s southwest time to recover physically and emotionally before returning to full operational duties.
Parallel to this, the Sandals Foundation has focused relief efforts on healthcare. A recent J$6 million donation of life-saving neonatal and pediatric equipment to Bustamante Hospital in Kingston has helped expand care capacity for critically ill children transferred from hurricane-hit parishes. The donation includes ventilators, analyzers, nebulisers, and other high-demand medical equipment.
Also on stage at CruiseWorld was Gary Sadler, executive VP of sales at Unique Vacations, Sandals’ marketing arm, who echoed Stewart’s rallying call. “You want to help us rebuild? Sell more rooms. Fill the flights. That’s the fastest way back.”
The CruiseWorld conference, running November 5–7, gathered travel agents, suppliers, and hospitality leaders for a packed schedule of networking, business development, and product showcases. This year, Jamaica — battered but unbowed — stole the spotlight as a case study in resilience, strategy, and unbreakable tourism infrastructure.
In Stewart’s words: “We’re not just reopening. We’re rising.”
