St. Kitts Tourism Authority Hails Jamaica’s Resilience Thrust

Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, Ellison Thompson, has commended Jamaica for its robust global tourism resilience thrust.

In an interview with JIS News, Mr. Thompson credited Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, for leading the tourism resilience charge in the region.

“[Mr. Bartlett] has been very helpful to the whole region in terms of putting together sustainable conferences and making sure that there were experts coming in who can guide us in terms of policy towards moving forward. Jamaica has come up with some very good initiatives, which we are definitely very happy to utilise,” he said.

Mr. Thompson was speaking to JIS News following a press briefing held during the 42nd Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace event, held recently at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jamaica received international attention and acclaim for implementing measures aimed at safeguarding the island’s tourism sector.

These measures were also credited for the sector’s rapid recovery post-pandemic.

In 2023, Jamaica successfully lobbied the United Nations to recognise February 17 as Global Tourism Resilience Day.

The second observation of the day was commemorated during this year’s Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference held in Montego Bay from February 16 to 17.

As part of resilience efforts, the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre was also established.

Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson outlined that the island is putting measures in place to protect the country’s robust tourism sector from future shocks.

“Part of what the country is doing is making sure that we are a sustainable island destination. So, we are looking throughout the Caribbean and globally at practices that were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic that can be utilised now and moving forward. We are also making sure we are prepared for any further disruption in the world,” he said.

Mr. Thompson was among several representatives from across the region who gave presentations about the tourism sector in their respective countries.

The CHTA Marketplace event, which was held from May 20 to 23, afforded tourism suppliers the opportunity to meet face to face with wholesalers from around the world who are selling Caribbean vacation travel.