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Calm waters, bright sunshine, and the warm embrace of the Jamaican people are greeting visitors once again. Jamaica is open, and Sandals Resorts is proud to be welcoming guests back to five of its beloved properties — Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Ochi, Sandals Negril, and Beaches Negril.

At the center of this milestone is a story of unity — a “wi likkle but wi tallawah” spirit that has guided this island through every challenge, and that continues to shine. Neighbors helping neighbors, communities lifting one another up, and partners near and far joining hands.

Supporting these efforts is the Sandals Foundation, whose Relief Mission is fueled by team members, community leaders, generous donors, and local and global organizations across the region coming together with a shared purpose: to support Jamaica’s recovery following Hurricane Melissa and help drive the island; its people, communities, and future – forward, stronger and more resilient.

United in Action: Delivering Relief Where Jamaica Needed It Most

From airfreight departing Miami with essential supplies to care packages packed by Sandals team members and airlifted by Medic Corps into cut-off mountain districts, the Hurricane Melissa relief mission was powered by partnership and heart. Working alongside the Jamaica Defence Force, Chef José Andres’ World Central Kitchen, Team Rubicon, the US Urban Search and Rescue Team, and others, the Sandals Foundation helped extend support into areas where roads were blocked, access was limited, and communities were most in need. Partners like Air Canada Vacations, who pledged donations for every December vacation booking, continue to amplify this powerful ripple of giving.

That same spirit of unity reached deep into rural communities like Beeston Spring, Brompton, and Petersville, areas where families depend on small farms and local markets, many of which were devastated by floods and landslides. Here, care packages filled with food, baby essentials, toiletries, and hygiene items became true lifelines, offering stability while crops and incomes recover.

In coastal villages such as Whitehouse and nearby Flanker, where storm surge and roof damage hit hard, these care packages carried just as much meaning. They were a reassuring message: “We see you. We stand with you.”

Across Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth, community centers and relief hubs became gathering points where bulk food distributions helped families without access to shops, neighbors reconnected, and hope found its way back into everyday life.

These deliveries weren’t just about supplies; they were acts of compassion, reminders of togetherness, and celebrations of a culture whose resilience ensures that even in the toughest times, no Jamaican ever stands alone.

Healing Spaces, Healing Hearts

Hospitals are the heartbeat of any recovery, and across Jamaica, The Sandals Foundation and the Jamaica Ministry of Health and Wellness worked together to ensure those heartbeats stayed strong.

At the Bustamante Hospital for Children, the only specialist pediatric hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean and Jamaica’s major referral hospital, received a suite of medical supplies, equipment, and resources to help respond to critically ill patients and neonates (0-28 days old) who are being transferred from four western hospitals. New medical equipment, from neonatal ventilators to infusion pumps, are now helping the island’s youngest patients get the care they need.

At St. Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, a newly purchased commercial freezer and refrigerator will support the preparation of 300 meals served to patients every day.

At Cornwall Regional Hospital, 50 mattresses replaced those damaged during the storm, and tarpaulins now keep key medical areas protected. Care packages and water also uplifted patients and staff during an already demanding time.
These enhancements don’t just rebuild, they strengthen Jamaica for the long term.

Fishing Villages: Rising on the Tides of Community

Fishing communities are the soul of Jamaica’s coastline, and supporting them means supporting family livelihoods, food security, and tradition.

In Whitehouse, the Sandals Foundation helped transform the Marine Sanctuary Office into a solar-powered charging hub, a place for residents and fishers to reconnect with loved ones and stay informed.

Two new solar street lights now brighten the Fisheries Department Office, creating a safer environment for all.

Deep freezers and igloo coolers were provided to help fishers preserve their daily catch, keeping local commerce flowing and the community thriving.
This is resilience in motion, driven by people determined to rebuild not just what was lost, but what will last.

Caring for Minds as Much as Homes

Amid the rebuilding, the Sandals Foundation also supported the emotional well-being of families and young students by connecting volunteer counselors from Kahle Journey and the Jamaica Psychological Association, who joined hands to bring comfort, guidance, and reassurance to children and adults navigating the emotional aftershocks of the storm.

Because healing is holistic, mind, body, and spirit.

A Homecoming Filled With Heart and Jamaican Hospitality

In early December, Sandals Resorts welcomed nearly 400 travel advisors and industry partners to Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios for a special “Back to Jamaica” immersion event, a heartfelt preview of a country ready to shine again. It was more than a visit; it was a reunion. A moment for partners to feel Jamaica’s magic firsthand, from the warmth of the sunshine to the unmistakable joy of toes-in-the-sand hospitality.

The gathering also became a powerful moment of giving as Jamaica’s tourism industry reopened its doors. Tourism and its related service sectors contribute to nearly half of Jamaica’s GDP and employment, underscoring how deeply the island’s people and economy are connected to travel. In that spirit, attendees joined forces with the Sandals Foundation to support islandwide relief efforts, donating over $35,000 USD to the Hurricane Melissa Relief Mission, collecting 2,500 pounds of school supplies through the Pack for a Purpose program, and filling 300 holiday stockings with toys for children across Jamaica.

A Celebration of the Jamaican Spirit

As the work continues, the Sandals Foundation will keep supporting the places and people who make Jamaica feel like home, from healthcare centers and schools to fishing communities and essential services across the island.

And while the storm tested Jamaica, it never dimmed what makes this island extraordinary. In the quiet moments, a shared meal, a helping hand, a roof repaired with care, communities reminded one another of the strength that has always lived here.

That same spirit is what now welcomes guests back to the island. The laughter, the warmth, the familiar joy that hugs you the moment you arrive. It’s all here, alive as ever.

And as visitors return, they step into a country renewed by resilience, united by community, and ready to welcome them home.