GTRCMC Help is on the Way for Haiti Tourism Recovery

GTRCMC
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Haiti is in trouble after the county’s president was murdered, after natural disasters and COVID, and yesterdays deadly and strongest earthquake killing at least 724.

Haiti tourism may be wiped out for some time, but remains the tool for this Caribbean Country to recover. Today, a neighbor from Jamaica, the man known to be the person behind word tourism resilience reached out to Haiti, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

  • Jamaica Minister of Tourism, and Co-Founder of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), Hon Edmund Bartlett, is expressing concern over the devastating impact of the recent 7.2 earthquake that occurred in Haiti.
  • On Saturday August 14, the magnitude 7.2 earthquake severely damaged several cities, burying people in the rubble of collapsed buildings in sections of Haiti.
  • At least 724 people died with many more missing in what is left in Haiti. The US and other countries sent search teams to assist the Haiti Government.


If a 7.2 earthquake is not enough, a potentially deadly tropical storm is aiming at this Caribbean country now.

“I sympathize with our neighboring island Haiti as it reels from the destruction caused by the earthquake. These climatic events are showing us more and more, that vulnerable country in the Caribbean need to be more prepared to manage and mitigate when then they occur,” said Jamaica Minister Bartlett.

Bartlett loves his native country Jamaica and his job as the country’s minister of Tourism. However, he has seen the world of tourism through a global eye. This had brought Jamaica to the forefront of tourism everywhere in the world.

Bartlett continued to say: “This is why the GTRCMC was created to assist countries in the preparedness and management of disruptions of all kinds so they can not only recover but recover stronger.

“As part of efforts to provide support, the GTRCMC will be coordinating with regional leaders to meet to discuss the impact of the earthquake and examine the implications for Caribbean tourism, given the negative impact this is having on lives, livelihoods, and ultimately tourism,” added Minister Bartlett.

Haiti needs more than search teams and goodwill support. Safety and security is a big issue. Due to rebels operating roadways leading to the capital city much-needed aid cannot be effectively distributed. The Haitian government asked the United States to help on this policing issue, but a response is still pending.

Peter Tarlow, world-known tourism safety and security expert, and co-chairman of the World Tourism Network said in an eTN News broadcast today: “Safety and tourism security are key for any travel destination to be successful. The World Tourism Network with our established rapid response outreach is ready to work hand in hand with Minister Bartlett and the GTRCMC to assist Haiti when they are ready.”

The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Center under the leadership of Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Bartlett are more than a Caribbean response to local disasters, but a global initiative in a growing number of tourism destinations.

Haiti, which was stricken by another powerful earthquake in 2010 which killed more than 220,000 people, is also bracing for the onslaught of Tropical Storm Grace.

“Just as we coordinated short to midterm mitigation for the volcanic eruption that occurred in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the GTRCMC will be coordinating with our regional partners for the way forward,” said Executive Director of the GTRCMC, Professor Lloyd Waller.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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