Jamaica to host UNWTO Global Conference on Innovation and Resilience
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaica is set to host the very first United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Global Conference on Innovation and Resilience in May 2020.
In a release from Secretary General of the UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili, yesterday invited participants of the third Ministerial Round Table to attend the conference in Jamaica.
Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, who is leading the country’s delegation, said that tourism has positively impacted communities across the island.
Bartlett was among 23 Ministers and Secretaries of Tourism who spoke on the theme “Community Vitalisation — People and Culture.”
According to the minister, tourism is a catalyst for social investment in spaces, which would not normally be viewed as suitable for enterprises.
He also explained how the transformative power of tourism, in particular the Tourism Linkages Network, is allowing individuals and small groups from different communities to earn a decent living from tourism.
Bartlett highlighted how the Tourism Workers Pension Plan, recently implemented by the Jamaican Government and allows all workers in the industry to benefit from a pension plan, is allowing them to view tourism as a secure career path with the potential to provide a dignified life after retirement.
Tourism Expo Japan is being held in Osaka, Japan from October 24 to 27.
The event is being used by Destination to showcase the diverse tourism product through business to business meetings and consumer interactions.
The Jamaican delegation includes participation from the Tourism Linkages Network and the Jamaica Tourist Board.