Giving Back in Jamaica: Four Ways Visitors Can Make a Difference

As Jamaica continues its recovery from Hurricane Melissa, the Jamaica Tourist Board is sharing a clear message with the world: “The best way to support the people and country of Jamaica is to come back and experience the beauty of the island.”

Travel advisors can help by sending clients back to Jamaica. Once there, visitors can do even more by visiting attractions, dining at restaurants, and supporting small businesses. Below are a few recommendations based on what we experienced during our media tour.

Visitors are also encouraged to bring new toys, clothing, and toiletries for families in need. To help out in other ways, online donations and volunteer opportunities are available on the Hurricane Melissa Relief web page. 

Take a Chocolate Workshop in Ocho Rios

For a feel-good activity that also tastes great, try the Discover Chocolate Workshop at Pure Chocolate. Located in Ocho Rio’s Island Village – a waterfront shopping, dining, and entertainment outlet, Pure Chocolate is owned and operated by pastry chef and chocolatier Rennae Johnson and her husband, Wouter Tjeertes. Their farm-to-bar business sources cocoa from local farmers to produce all of its chocolates in-house, with many bars incorporating Jamaican ingredients such as coffee, rum, jerk seasoning, plantains, and even Scotch bonnet peppers. Each package is beautifully designed by graduates from Kingston’s art college, who earn a small commission from each bar sold.

The two-hour Discover Chocolate workshop includes a chocolate-making demonstration, hands-on practice to create and decorate your own chocolate to take home, and expert tips from the instructor on how to make chocolate like a pro.

The feel-good part: 50% of all workshop proceeds go directly to their cocoa farmer partners, helping them recover from hurricane damage to crops.

Workshops can be booked online, and children aged 7 or older are welcome. Cruise passengers can also easily join, as Island Village is a short walk from the Ocho Rios cruise terminal. For more information, visit Pure Chocolate Company.

Donate to World Central Kitchen

Founded by Spanish-American chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is an international non-profit that responds to crises around the world with immediate food relief. WCK has established a Relief Kitchen at the Montego Bay Convention Center to cook and deliver meals to more than 180 distribution sites stretching from Montego Bay to St. Elizabeth Parish, where Hurricane Melissa caused the most damage. The organization is also partnering with more than 30 local restaurants to bring comfort and hope to families recovering from the storm.

For more information and to make a donation, visit World Central Kitchen.

Visit Local Museums (like the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston)

Jamaica’s capital city may not be a beach resort town, but it is rich in cultural experiences. Visitors should not miss the Bob Marley Museum, which celebrates the life and music of Jamaica’s most iconic figure. Though Marley’s life was tragically short (he died of cancer at just 36 years old), he introduced reggae music to the world and remains widely known as Jamaica’s most famous export and a symbol of the island’s spirit.

The museum is inside Marley’s home, where he lived and recorded much of his music until his death. All visits are guided by knowledgeable team members who bring Marley’s story to life, with some even breaking into song during the tour. Guests move through several rooms of the house, including the recording studio, office, living room, patio, and bedroom. Throughout the house, walls and display cases feature family photographs, newspaper clippings, gold and platinum records, concert posters, favorite pieces of clothing, and other personal memorabilia. Bullet holes from his assassination attempt are also still visible on the back wall of the house. 

Before or after the tour, visitors are welcome to explore the grounds where Marley once played soccer with his family and friends, as well as view the colorful murals and statues created for the museum. There is also an art gallery and gift shop, where guests can browse and even purchase Bob Marley records to take home. The museum is open six days a week, with tours lasting 75 to 90 minutes. A second “Making of the Music” tour is also available and can be combined with the home tour. For more information, visit the Bob Marley Museum website. 

Dine Local (such as at Christophers Restaurant at Hermosa Cove)

Unlike many resort restaurants that are reserved for hotel guests, Christophers at Hermosa Cove resort in Ocho Rios welcomes both locals and visitors. Named after Christopher Columbus, who is credited with “discovering” Jamaica, the restaurant offers pleasant waterfront dining with indoor and outdoor seating. On the way there, you’ll pass the 160-year-old cottonwood tree before arriving at the eclectic two-story building, complete with a vine-covered lighthouse tower.

The menu features creative dishes from Jamaican chef Dwayne Foster, who blends international favorites with a Jamaican twist, such as the goat curry pizza laden with chunks of spiced meat and curry sauce, creating a pie with just the right amount of heat. Other selections include pasta, meat, and seafood cooked in traditional ways and local flavors such as jerk, curries, and stews.

Because the restaurant prioritizes those staying at Hermosa Cove, non-guests must call ahead to secure a reservation, subject to availability. At management’s discretion, a guided tour of Hermosa Cove can also be arranged. The resort’s landscaped grounds are full of whimsical structures and pathways dotted with hand-crafted art, much of it created by Hermosa Cove founder and artist-in-residence Clayton Korver. For information, visit the restaurant website.