Tourism Resilience Centre to provide US$100,000 Towards Disaster Recovery Efforts in the Caribbean

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry through the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), has allocated US$100,000 to support tourism-ravaged economies impacted by disruptions such as natural disasters and pandemics.

Speaking at a press conference today at the Jamaica Tourist Boardโ€™s Kingston office, the Minister noted that the announcement has stemmed from discussions he had with critical tourism partners at the recently concluded United Nations World Tourism Organizationโ€™s (UNWTO) 23rdย Session of theย General Assembly in Russia.

โ€œOne of the key areas we looked at in Russia is how to deal with some of these disruptions that are affecting usโ€ฆ Coming out of these discussions, in collaboration with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), we are providing US$100,000 in support of the tourism ravaged economies of the Bahamas and other areas in the Caribbean that may be impacted in the future,โ€ said the Minister.

The JHTA has contributed US$20,000 to assist in relief efforts through the UNWTO and the GTRCMC.

The Minister noted that this fund is going to assist in relief efforts in hurricane-ravaged Bahamas but also towards the commissioning of a baseline study to assess the vulnerabilities of the Caribbean to major disruptions.

โ€œA baseline study is being commissioned by the Centre to look at Caribbean vulnerabilities to disruptions of this nature. It is not just about hurricanes but other pandemics and epidemics. We are doing that, not just on the basis that is providing supplies but to build capacity. It is about the building of capacity to deal with disruptions,โ€ said the Minister.

He also noted that, โ€œThis fund is going to look at a study in terms of understanding these phenomena but more importantly, how we build capacity to deal with them.โ€

The Centreโ€™s newly elected Executive Director, Professor Lloyd Waller and his team have been tasked with overseeing the process.

โ€œWe want to also acknowledge the work that the Sandals Foundation has done and is doing in terms of the recovery process in the Bahamas. ย We are grateful for their partnership with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, and the massive support they continue to give the Bahamas,โ€ said the Minister.

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre’s mission includes assisting global tourism destinations with destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that affect tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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