Jamaica’s Tourism Minister to discuss sustainable tourism with President of Malta

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed the island yesterday to meet with Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta and Patron of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF), to discuss the countryโ€™s possible participation and collaboration, in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center.

โ€œIt was a great honor for me to receive an invitation to meet with the President of Malta to discuss sustainable tourism and ways in which they can partner with us in the establishment of our Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. I look forward to having fruitful discussions with President Preca and her team, and I am sure this will result in very positive news for our mission of protecting the tourism industry,โ€ said Minister Bartlett.

The Center, which will be housed at the University of the West Indies, Mona, is being designed to help vulnerable states across the world, to recover quickly from natural disasters. It will specifically target destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that threaten economies and livelihoods globally, with real time data and effective communication.

During his visit to Malta, the Minister will meet with their Minister of Tourism, Dr. the Hon Konrad Mizzi, Maltaโ€™s MTF President, Tony Zahra and MTF Governors Dr Taleb Rifai, Dr Tijani Haddad and George Micallef. The meeting will allow for the sharing of best practices on tourism policy and sustainable development strategies.

The Minister is joined by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Jennifer Griffith who will participate in the 109th UNWTO Executive Council meeting in Manama Bahrain.

โ€œJamaica has a very critical role to play in this meeting as we are now serving the first year of a two-year term of office in the Executive Council. We will have a discussion on smart tourism and data driven decisions. Additionally, we will discuss the UNWTOโ€™s role in the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre,โ€ said Minister Bartlett.

The official launch of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center is scheduled for January 2019, during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which will be held at the Montego Bay Convention Center.

The Center was first announced during the United Nations World Tourism Organizationโ€™s Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism, held in Montego Bay last November during the International year of sustainable tourism for development. It will act as a response to climatic events, pandemics, shifting global economies as well as crime and violence which can be devastating to travel and tourism.

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