Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre to Be Opened Soon

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre is be opened soon at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus.

It is aimed at assessing, forecasting, mitigating and managing risks related to tourism resilience, caused by various disruptive factors.

These disruptions may include climate change and natural disasters, cybercrime, cybersecurity, pandemics, terrorism, war, population and the changing funding models.

Come January 30, the official launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre will take place at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, with a host of local and international government leaders and officials, including Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, participating in the proceedings.

First announced during the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Global Conference on Sustainable Tourism in St. James in November 2017, the centre, which is the first of its kind, will be tasked with creating, producing and generating toolkits, guidelines and policies to handle the recovery process following a disaster.

The centre will also assist with preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods.

Addressing a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, explained that the centre is to provide a repository of knowledge, information and expertise to assist global communities in responding to, tracking and managing global disruptions.

“These disruptions are growing fast and furious, so there is the need for resilience, the need to build capacity to respond to them, and to be able to manage, grow and thrive after they have happened,” the Minister said.

Mr. Bartlett indicated that several universities have expressed an interest in the centre, with plans of forging partnerships.

They include the University of the West Indies; Queensland University, Australia; Hong Kong Polytechnic; Bournemouth University, United Kingdom; and George Washington University, United States of America.

“In the year, we have had relationships forged with a number of global and regional groupings, such as the Mediterranean Tourism Federation, which will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the launch to become an associate,” the Minister informed.

He added that partnerships are also being explored with Harvard University; University of Waikato, New Zealand; University of Southhampton; Boston University, the United States of America and the International University of Japan, to look at global projects relating to tourism resilience and climate change.

Major partners in the centre include United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); World Travel and Tourism Council; Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association; Caribbean Tourism Organisation; and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA).