Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has encouraged the deepening of tourism and trade linkages between the Caribbean and the African continent.
Addressing the opening ceremony for the Global Tourism Resilience Conference 2023, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Regional Headquarters in St. Andrew on February 15, Mr. Holness argued that African and Caribbean tourism trade presents opportunities for both regions to achieve shared economic growth, create jobs, increase bilateral investments, and improve infrastructure.
He added that the model will also enable the exchange of best practices, sharing of experiences and identification of new opportunities for growth and development.
“From a long-term perspective, a robust tourism trade model has the advantage of providing a cushion against economic shocks and crises. For example, the prevailing evidence indicates that while the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devasting impact on the global economy, including the tourism industry, countries that have diversified their tourism markets and have established strong tourism trade relations have been better able to withstand the impact of the crisis,” the Prime Minister noted.
Mr. Holness said the conference provides an excellent opportunity to explore and engage critical challenges to enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of African and Caribbean tourism by fostering cross-sectoral collaborations, knowledge sharing and partnerships.
“This conference will seek to identify ways to build resilience and drive economic growth through the tourism industry,” he added.
Mr. Holness said the COVID-19 pandemic “showed us clearly that the tourism industry is simultaneously, one of the most resilient yet one of the most volatile segments of economies, and this conference provides an opportunity to reflect on the evolution of the industry as well as sharpen the readiness of the sector to anticipate and meet further challenges while soaring to new heights”.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said public-private partnerships will play a crucial role in building tourism resilience, noting that Governments must work with the private sector to implement policies and strategies that enhance the sector’s capacity to respond to crises.
He said tourism acts as a catalyst for economic growth and development, mainly through its induced economic impact through the creation of vital linkages with several other segments of national economies, such as manufacturing, commerce, utilities, agriculture, transportation, the cultural and creative industries, construction and banking and finance.
“Given its tremendous global contribution, there is a clear case to be made for the tourism sector to be protected as a global asset. This is against the backdrop that the sector is increasingly being exposed to volatility and disruptions arising from a range of both traditional and nontraditional threats,” Mr. Holness noted.
The Prime Minister said the designation of Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17 emphasises the importance of sustainable and collaborative efforts to build tourism resilience globally to fuel sustainable growth and development.
The conference is organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), Caribbean Tourism Organization, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), International Tourism Investment Conference, Jacobs Media and the World Travel Awards.
The three-day conference is slated to end on February 17 and will include panel discussions, networking opportunities and presentations from more than 40 speakers, who will bring insight on various topics.
For more details on the conference, persons may visit the GTRCMC website at www.gtrcmc.org.