JAMAICA is pushing to have a third satellite location of its Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Through its partnerships, Jamaica has assisted in establishing two satellite locations of the centre in Malta and Kenya, servicing that part of the globe. The latest push is to have a third satellite centre located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to serve the Middle East.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Jamaica Observer’s Caribbean Business Report, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who conceptualised the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, disclosed that he will be travelling to Saudi Arabia this weekend to hold further talks on the development of the satellite centre. Bartlett is scheduled to meet with government officials and stakeholders in his drive to secure a satellite centre in that section of the globe.

Bartlett, who at the time of speaking was returning from his trip to Madrid, Spain, yesterday, acknowledged that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is playing a key role in the revival of the tourism sector from the novel coronavirus pandemic. He had had high praises for the team at Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, based in Kingston, Jamaica, at the Mona campus on The University of the West Indies.

Growth of Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre

He specifically singled out its executive director, Professor Lloyd Waller and Director of International Relations AnnaKay Newell for their roles in growing the organisation, leading to its significance and popularity. The purpose of the centre is to develop policy-relevant research and analysis on destination preparedness, management and recovery.

The development of the centre was part of the adoption of the Montego Bay Declaration, following a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference on sustainable growth in November 2017. The centre was launched at Montego Bay Convention Centre in Jamaica.

The centre’s research and analysis are further geared toward recovery from disruptions or crises that impact on tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods. Specifically, it will deal with issues related to terrorism and resultant travel advisories, political crises, climatic-related crises and the epidemic outbreaks in the region.

Jamaica hosting UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas

Jamaica is to host the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) from June 23-24, 2021. Minister Bartlett notes that plans are now being finalised for hosting this global event.

Jamaica currently chairs CAM but will relinquish its position at the General Assembly in Morocco in October. The Jamaican Cabinet has since then approved the country’s candidacy for the UNWTO Executive Council for the period 2022-2026.