The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) officially launched a J$70 million housing assistance programme on Tuesday (December 16), aimed at helping tourism workers impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Announcing the launch of the Tourism Housing Assistance & Recovery Programme (THARP) at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett explained that 700 tourism workers will benefit from the initial allocation, with vouchers valued at $100,000 each to rebuild their homes.

“Tourism does not only restore rooms for visitors. Tourism rebuilds roofs for workers,” Minister Bartlett declared at the ceremony, which also saw some of the programme’s first recipients receiving vouchers.

Hurricane Melissa, which struck Jamaica on October 28 as a category five system, caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure across the tourism corridor and surrounding communities.

THARP offers three distinct support packages designed to address varying levels of damage:

• Package A covers roofing and light repairs to quickly weatherproof homes.
• Package B addresses structural repair and foundation support for more serious damage.
• Package C provides comprehensive rebuild and interior repair assistance to restore full liveability.

So far, over 60 applications have solicited assistance through the programme. According to TEF, the applications are “being processed swiftly through a newly launched online portal at tef.gov.jm.”

Beyond the voucher system, TEF will construct five block-and-steel homes immediately, with plans for an additional ten permanent homes for workers who lost everything in the hurricane.

Minister Bartlett also provided an update on the broader Jamaica Tourism Cares relief initiative, which mobilised over US$15 million in cash and in-kind support following the hurricane.

The relief effort distributed more than 500 pallets of critical supplies and over 6,000 care packages to affected tourism workers. Plans are underway to support an additional 8,000 workers in the first quarter of 2026.

“Jamaica did not stand as a passive victim of disaster. We stood as an organised, credible partner in relief and recovery,” Bartlett stated.

The Jamaica Tourism Cares relief initiative secured partnerships with major international companies including Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Air Canada, and United Airlines, as well as organisations like World Central Kitchen which distributed more than two million meals through the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

THARP is open to tourism workers aged 18 to 59, including both permanent and contract employees, as well as self-employed individuals. Eligible workers include hotel staff, craft vendors, tour operators, red cap porters, contract carriage operators, and attraction workers.

The programme prioritises parishes in Hurricane Melissa’s direct path, including St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, and Trelawny.

Applicants can submit their requests online at tef.gov.jm, through participating hotels, through small and medium tourism enterprises, or through TEF technical staff conducting field verification.

With continued private sector support, THARP is expected to expand to assist up to 20,000 tourism workers across Jamaica.

Minister Bartlett emphasised that the programme represents more than relief.

“This programme is not charity. It is recognition. It is a statement that the people who build Jamaica’s tourism will not be left behind as Jamaica rebounds.”

A final Jamaica Tourism Cares report is expected to be presented by December 31, 2025.