GREEN ISLAND, Hanover — By 2032 there will be more than a million additional jobs in the Caribbean than there were in 2019, according to a report from World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

“It is anticipated that we should see a rise in jobs in the region of 1.32 million additional jobs and a doubling of our GDP (gross domestic product),” stated Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Immediate Past President Nicola Madden-Greig.

That is an increase of about 2.1 per cent.

“When you see a forecasted data set like this, we at CHTA said to ourselves, ‘How do we achieve this? And what is the data set that we will need to use to be able to analyse what is happening in our industry and then also to help our members to achieve this forecast that we see in front of us?’” Madden-Greig added during a panel discussion Monday on day one of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference and Expo being held at Princess Grand Resort in Green Island, Hanover. The topic being discussed was ‘Big Data Analytics and Tourism Resilience’.

Madden-Greig was referencing an economic impact report that CHTA conducted in collaboration with WTTC. It examined the potential contribution of tourism to GDP as well as the growth of travel and tourism jobs.

The report indicated that in 2019 tourism contributed 13.7 per cent to the Caribbean’s GDP and 10.4 per cent at the global level. These numbers are expected to move up to 14.2 and 11.6 per cent, respectively, by 2032.

It was a similar tale of growth for travel and tourism jobs. For the Caribbean, this category is expected to increase from 15.6 per cent in 2019 to 17.7 per cent in 2032. On a global level it is anticipated that it will inch up from 10.3 in 2019 to 11.8 per cent in 2032.

During her presentation Madden-Greig also spoke about the Caribbean Construction and Pipeline Report (CCPR), which aims to provide an understanding of new problems being faced within the region’s tourism industry. The CCPR was launched late last year.

“We have a lot of demand for not only human resources, but airlifts. We find that destinations individually know which hotels are coming but, as a region, we’re not quite sure,” she pointed out.

“You can’t swim to the Caribbean so we all have to be aware of the bill that is coming, demand for airlift — and that has to drive how we decide and approach the airlines in terms of bringing additional lift to the region,” argued Madden-Greig

She noted that the accumulation of such data in one place will provide a better understanding of “what kind of new bill is coming and the timeline that is happening”.

In 2017 the regional tourism sector had 17,000 rooms in the pipeline. This surged to 29,000 in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the industry in 2020 and with the industry in recovery mode, approximately 30,000 rooms were in the pipeline for 2024.

“This is a major game changer for us at the regional level, to be able to understand what’s happening throughout the region and to better plan,” stated Madden-Greig.

She stressed that, going forward, sustainability is one of those factors to consider.

The former CHTA president pointed to the importance of using data to link with other sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and the creative industry, to ensure that tourism not only provides for itself, but also supports linkages.

“It’s very important that tourism is the driver of our economy, not just for us in tourism but for the entire industries that support tourism, and for all our nationals within the region — because that’s why we’re all doing this,” argued Madden-Greig.

The third edition of the Global Tourism Resilience Conference and Expo, which runs from February 17 to 19, coincides with the celebration of Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17.

The three-day event brought together tourism partners from across the globe to exchange ideas, experiences, and visions for building a more sustainable and resilient tourism industry worldwide.