by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:45 PM ET, Thu January 16, 2025
Edmund Bartlett (center), with Jennifer Griffith (left), permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, and professor Lloyd Waller, executive director of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. (Photo Credit: Jamaica Tourist Board)
This years third annual Global Tourism Resilience
Conference and Expo will bring global tourism leaders together to discuss strategies
for successful destination management and digital resilience, said Edmund
Bartlett, Jamaicas tourism minister and founder of the Global Tourism
Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC).
The conference will take place on Feb. 17 to 19 at the Princess
Grand and adjacent Princess Senses, The Mangrove resorts, Bartlett said in a
briefing in Montego Bay, Jamaica this week. The gathering is particularly
prescient as tourism-reliant destinations face mounting digital and environmental
threats, he said.
Our conference will explore cutting edge technologies and
strategies that are crucial for the tourism sectors adaptability and long-term
sustainability, especially in the wake of recent global challenges, Bartlett said.
He added, It has never been more important to tap into the
expertise of leaders and innovators to collaboratively discuss issues that are
central to future-proofing travel and tourism worldwide.
The first day of conference sessions will explore introducing
innovations such as AI, cyber security, augmented and virtual reality and the
internet of things, Bartlett said.
A second day will be dedicated to exploring the integration
of digital technology with the blue economy; this includes a special focus on sustainable
marine and coastal tourism, he said.
Subsequent panels and roundtables will delve into
innovative financial solutions, featuring key insights from the International
Tourism Investment Corporation Limited, to discuss mechanisms that support
investment in digital excellence.
Bartlett said other discussions will cover the strategic
application of digital solutions, improving resilience and sustainability
across tourism destinations and leveraging AI for effective resource management
and disaster preparedness.
Cyber security is of particular importance as Bartlett said
most Caribbean nations are not equipped to confront digital threats.
Late last year we did have a cyber incident which impacted
aviation sector and impacted air seats for Jamaica, he said. So its not a matter
of whether it will happen, its a reality that is happening.
Tourisms sustainable future is of critical importance of nations
reliant on the industry as an economic engine, Bartlett said at the briefing.
Tourism has been the industry that has transformed so many
countries, so many communities, he said, adding that tourism employs 11
percent of all the workers of the world and 10 percent of global GDP.
Said Bartlett, Sleepy fishing villages have been transformed
almost overnight to bustling areas of commercial activity, providing jobs and
economic well-being for thousands and thousands of people.
Rajan Datar, host of the BBCs award-winning The Travel
Show will serve as the conferences emcee. Panelists are expected to feature
representatives from organizations and companies including the World Bank, United
Nations World Tourism Organization, American Airlines, Carnival Corporation,
Mastercard and the Inter-American Development Bank.
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