Wed | Dec 17, 2025

TPDCo completes pilot mental health intervention for tourism workers

Published:Tuesday | December 16, 2025 | 9:59 PM
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
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.

Some 300 tourism workers across the sector participated in 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, 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 in western Jamaica, which covered the heart of the tourism industry. Many workers reported losing property, with some even losing their jobs as hotels and other tourist operators temporarily shuttered.

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”.

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,” Harris stated.

She noted that the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association 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,” Harris stated.

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