300 Tourism Workers Benefit from Post-Hurricane Pilot Mental Health Intervention Programme
By: , December 16, 2025
Photo: Contributed
Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) Training Manager for the Western Region, Megan Mollison (left, front row), is pictured with Clinical Director at Dr. K.A.D. Morgan & Associates, Verol Billett (fifth left, second row); Managing Director of Amstar Destination Management Company, Arla Vernon (front row, centre); and Administration Officer in TPDCo’s Training Department, Romario Bennett (right), alongside Amstar DMC team members. The photograph was taken following the culmination of TPDCo’s Post‑Hurricane Melissa Pilot Mental Health Intervention Programme for tourism workers at Amstar’s Montego Bay office.
Photo: Contributed
Team members of Amstar Destination Management Company in Montego Bay participate in a Mental Health Awareness session facilitated by Clinical Director at Dr. K.A.D. Morgan & Associates, Verol Billett. The session formed part of the Tourism Product Development Company’s post‑Hurricane Melissa Pilot Mental Health Intervention Programme, designed to provide immediate emotional and psychological support, strengthen coping skills, and build resilience among tourism industry workers in the aftermath of the severe weather system’s passage.The Full Story
Some 300 tourism workers across the sector have benefited from a pilot Mental Health Intervention Programme implemented by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) in response to the impact of Hurricane Melissa.
The four day pilot, which concluded on Monday (December 15), comprised 10 face to face sessions, each accommodating up to 30 participants.
The sessions were facilitated by a trained psychologist and coordinated by TPDCo’s training team, with activities concentrated in St. James and Westmoreland – two of the parishes most severely impacted by the Category Five cyclone.
Hurricane Melissa inflicted significant physical damage across destination Jamaica, while simultaneously causing emotional distress among tourism sector workers.
TPDCo’s Executive Training Manager, Ruth Harris, told JIS News that the mental health intervention programme “aims to support emotional recovery and strengthen resilience among tourism employees”.
She noted that the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) played a pivotal role in identifying the properties most affected by the hurricane, issuing invitations to its members, with the first 10 respondents selected to participate in the pilot.
“By improving their mental well-being, we are helping them to return to work with confidence, stability and focus. We understand that by rebuilding the emotional health of our workforce, we are also supporting the long-term recovery and sustainability of the tourism industry,” Ms. Harris stated.
She further emphasised that tourism workers should not hesitate to avail themselves of the programme once it becomes accessible, underscoring that emotional recovery is equally as vital as physical recovery.
“We want them to understand also that seeking support does not signal weakness. It actually demonstrates strength, self-awareness and a commitment to personal well-being,” Ms. Harris said.
“We are going to be offering a confidential, convenient space where everybody is free to express all their feelings so that they can be provided with the necessary tools to help them to be a better individual,” she added.
Following the pilot’s completion and an evaluation of its outcomes, TPDCo anticipates expanding the programme across the wider sector.
“Once we get the approval to expand it, we want persons to be open to it because it is making the individual better and, in the long run, it’s going to make the industry much better,” Ms. Harris stated.
