Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is urging global and regional policymakers to utilize new approaches, partnerships and a strong multi-level response to aid in the sector’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Jamaica Tourism Minister said historically, tourism has shown a strong ability to adapt, innovate, and recover from adversity.
- Policymakers, industry leaders, investors, financial institutions, and providers of innovative solutions will be required to collaborate more closely.
- Investments must be made to build infrastructure to facilitate sustainable tourism and sustainable energy consumption.
The Minister noted that this strategy will ensure that the tourism sector becomes more resilient, sustainable, inclusive, and competitive during this Jamaica tourism recovery period.
Speaking recently during the Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF), Bartlett said: “While historically, tourism has shown a strong ability to adapt, innovate and recover from adversity, this unprecedented situation requires new approaches and a strong multi-level response and partnership to achieve some of our loftier recovery goals.”
He also noted that, “policymakers, industry leaders, investors, financial institutions and providers of innovative solutions will be required to collaborate more closely to boost and ensure the required investments to build the infrastructure that will facilitate sustainable tourism and sustainable energy consumption in the tourism sector.”
According to Minister Bartlett the transition to sustainable tourism, will also depend on whether the development of tourism is guided by a national strategy comprising policy, regulatory and institutional frameworks with sufficient incentives to stimulate the development of supply and productive capacity where sustainable goods and services are concerned.
“This approach to sustainable tourism must also be considered from a regional standpoint as well and should also incorporate strategies to fill gaps in the supply side of the equation in Caribbean tourism. Therefore, Caribbean destinations need to take strategic steps to ensure that we retain more of the US dollars that flow into the region as a result of tourism,” he said.
