Preparations are underway for the Tourism Resilience Summit of the Americas, which is scheduled to take place at the University of the West Indies, Mona, on September 13, 2018. Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, today, announced its headline speakers, who share leading opinions and experiences on climate challenges and crisis management.
The list of speakers include: Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness; Professor of Crisis & Disaster Management at Bournemouth University’s Disaster Management Centre, Lee Miles; Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES), Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee and Director of Disaster Risk Reduction Centre at the University of the West Indies, Dr Barbara Carby.
“I am very pleased with the fact that Jamaica is playing host to this very important event, which we expect to have a positive and meaningful impact on building better global resilience of our industry. Our country aims to lead the way in providing guidance to our neighbours by helping in any way we can to provide leadership in critical areas of managing global disruptions,” said the Minister.
The resilience summit, which is to be held under the theme ‘Tourism Resilience through Global Synergies’, will seek to assess existing and emerging disruptions related to tourism management globally.
It will also examine the risk of these disruptions to the global tourism product and identify a synergetic, strategic and operational framework for mutual partnerships between and among major governmental, non-governmental and business entities. This will address, as well as, develop mitigation strategies for these global disruptions.
“This summit forms part of my ministry’s efforts to build resilience within the region and globally. Resilience building has become even more crucial in a world that is hyper connected and as such more susceptible to climate change, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism and cybercrime,” Minister Bartlett said.
Other speakers who will be facilitating on-going dialogues at the summit include: Former United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General, Dr Taleb Rifai; Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Raul Salazar; Director of the National Travel and Tourism Office, U.S. Department of Commerce; Isabel Hill; British High Commissioner, His Excellency Asif Ahmad; CEO of Beautiful Destinations, Jeremy Jauncey; Former UNWTO Executive Director Carlos Vogeler; and Finn Partners’ Founding Managing Partner and Head of Global Travel & Lifestyle Practice, Gail Moaney.
Greetings are also expected to be delivered by: Pro-Vice Chancellor, Global Affairs at The University of the West Indies, Ambassador Dr Richard L. Bernal and Bahamian Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation/Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Hon Dionisio D’Aguilar.
Minister Bartlett also disclosed that the Summit will specifically explore themes such as: developing awareness and sensitization strategies; designing capacity building programmes; resource mobilization; development of crisis management systems; development of risk reduction systems; communication management; building global networks for tourism resilience; and recovery management planning.
The summit is a precursor to the official 2019 launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre which will be the global hub to assist destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.
The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre was one of the major outcomes of the Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism under the esteemed partnership of the UNWTO, the Government of Jamaica, the World Bank Group and the Inter-American Development Bank. It will also be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus.
