Travel

Jamaica to Host First Ever Global Tourism Resilience Conference

 KINGSTON, Jamaica  – Preparations are now in high gear to host the highly anticipated and historic Global Tourism Resilience Conference in Jamaica from February 15-17, 2023. The conference, which will focus on resilience and capacity building for tourism globally, is expected to feature approximately 40 international speakers from Africa, Asia, Europe, America and the Caribbean.

Hon. Edmund Bartlett - Jamaica to Host First Ever Global Tourism Resilience Conference
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett (R) makes his presentation at the official launch of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference. It will take place at the University of the West Indies’ Regional Headquarters in Kingston from February 15-17, 2023. Sharing in the moment is Jamaica’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith (L).

Importance of Tourism Resilience

“As we exit the COVID19 pandemic, tourism resilience has become the epicentre of national development priorities. This is against the backdrop that tourism remains very vulnerable to disruptions like the pandemic. The staging of this conference, which is already in high gear, is therefore relevant and critical to ensuring that the industry will be able to not only recover but thrive afterwards from these disruptions,” said the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica.

Global Tourism Resilience Conference  in Jamaica planning committee
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett (C) shares a moment with some of the members of the planning committee for the Global Tourism Resilience Conference (l-r) Mrs. Carolyn McDonald-Riley, Director of the Tourism Linkages Network; Dr. Carey Wallace, Executive Director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund; Jennifer Griffith, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism; David Dobson, Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Tourism; Donovan White, Director of Tourism and Omar Robinson, Head of the Knowledge Network of the Tourism Linkages Network.

The conference is being driven by the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. The Centre is headquartered at the University of the West Indies, Kingston. Some of the areas of focus will include enhancing competitiveness and sustainability; cross-sectorial collaborations; international funding and technical assistance; the establishment of resilience barometers; enhanced research; the adaptation of science, technology and innovation; niche market development; human capacity-building; and small business support, among other areas.

Caribbean to Strengthen Its Response and Resilience

“Although we cannot prevent natural disasters, nor equally the devastating global disruptions that impact our region, we can and must come together as one Caribbean to strengthen our response and resilience when these types of events occur. The tourism resilience conference presents a timely opportunity for us all as governments and policy stakeholders to collaboratively discuss issues that are central to the development of policies that will reduce our vulnerability,” said Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and Minister of Tourism and Transport for the Cayman Islands, the Hon. Kenneth Bryan.

m Resilience Conference global partners
A snapshot of some of the global partners who participated in the official launch of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference slated for February 15-17, 2023, in Kingston Jamaica.

Caribbean Hotel and Tourist Association Endorsement

“We fully endorse the Global Tourism Resilience Conference and the move to establish a global resilience day. The tourism sector lived through the most challenging two plus years faced with a once in a lifetime pandemic and is in advanced stages of recovery, confirming the resilience of the industry. However, we must future-proof this industry and reimagine our tourism master plans taking into consideration infrastructure, the impact of climate change, human and capital development needs, use of technology to ensure our ability to handle current and future headwinds,” said president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourist Association, Mrs. Nicola Madden-Grieg.

Registration

A major expected outcome of the conference will be the commemoration of the Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17. It is anticipated that the day will be recognized annually. Additionally, it will be used globally as a time to focus on resilience-building and strategies to improve resilience in tourism.

“The future of tourism is in the hands of today’s partners and stakeholders, so the time is to act is now. This conference will be a game changer on the road to a more resilient global tourism industry,” concluded Minister Bartlett.

Click here to register for the conference.

South Florida Caribbean News

The SFLCN.com Team provides news and information for the Caribbean-American community in South Florida and beyond.

Related Articles

Back to top button