There is serious need for a global tourism resilience fund, according to a declaration from the Global Tourism Resilience Conference held from February 15-17 in Kingston, Jamaica.
The conference resulted in the Kingston Declaration for Tourism Resilience and the Future of Tourism. Headed by Jamaican Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, the declaration aims to support tourism-dependent nations in periods of disruption, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bartlett urges labour markets worldwide not to leave tourism workers behind in times of recovery for travel and tourism.
The declaration calls for a reignition of global relations using tourism as a driver, beginning with Africa and the Caribbean, to promote mutual understanding, cultural exchange and sustainable economic growth in the tourism sector.
Conference speakers agreed that the pandemic would always serve as a stark reminder of the indispensable necessity to build tourism resilience. Travel and tourism, while seen as a highly resilient segment of the global economy, is never invincible.
