TOURISM Minister Edmund Bartlett has announced that Jamaica will officially launch the first-ever Global Tourism Resilience Day at Expo 2020 Dubai on February 17.

Minister Bartlett, who is the co-chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) made the announcement in a press release. In the press release, the minister reported that the Global Tourism Resilience Day will be commemorated on February 17 as Jamaica prepares to mark Jamaica Day the following day.

The press release explained that, “The focus [Global Tourism Resilience Day] will be on the ability of countries to build capacity to respond to international shocks and to be able to predict with greater certainty their responses. It will also aid countries in understanding and mitigating the effects of these shocks on their development, but most importantly, it will help them manage and recover quickly afterwards.”

Bartlett further explained that organisers will begin this process by advocating international bodies such as the United Nations for the observation of a Global Tourism Resilience Day beginning February 17, 2023.

Harnessing the Path to Recovery through Resilience and Investment

He shared that the theme for the inaugural Global Tourism Resilience Day forum will be ‘Harnessing the Path to Recovery through Resilience and Investment’ and will highlight the inherent and unquestionable links between tourism resilience and regeneration.

“In this regard, Dubai expo offers a perfect space to showcase our work and build global partnerships with key decision-makers, continuing our mission to provide guidance to global, regional, and national tourism stakeholders,” opined GTRCMC and Resilience Council Co-Chair Dr Taleb Rifai.

The expo has just surpassed 10 million visitors and has 108 countries represented in individual pavilions. Global and regional speakers will share key information on investment, which leads to resilience.

Case studies will be highlighted by speakers such as Prime Minister Andrew Holness; President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta; Minister Reyes Morato of Spain; Minister Faisal Al-Fayez of Jordan; Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International, as well as Julia Simpson, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, along with others.

The formal proceedings will take place in the DP World Pavilion in Dubai, starting at 1:00 pm local time and closing at 5:30 pm.