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Minister Bartlett proposes tourism crisis communication strategy for the Caribbean… Global Resilience Centre to formulate

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre has been tasked with developing a tourism crisis communications strategy which will help Caribbean nations ‘build back better’ following a disaster.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a Tourism Crisis Communications and Disaster Risk Management event yesterday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, the Minister said, “In responding to the call to build tourism resilience in the Caribbean, I am very proud that the region’s first resilience centre was recently established at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus Jamaica.

“The Centre is going to focus heavily on crisis communication and will develop an official Tourism Crisis Communication Strategy. We believe that we have established ourselves to provide part of the institutional framework and the physical capacity that the region needs to implement and to have actualised some of the outcomes which we seek to have from our efforts,” he added.

The facility, which is the first of its kind, will assist with preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that impact tourism and threaten sector-dependent economies and livelihoods.

It is focused on deliverables including the establishment of an academic journal on resilience and global disruptions, the drafting of a blueprint for resilience, the creation of a resilience barometer and establishment of an Academic Chair for resilience and innovation. This is in keeping with the Centre’s mandate to create, produce and generate toolkits, guidelines and policies to guide the recovery process following a disaster.

“Building resilience will require a system-approach based on strengthening collaborations at the national, regional and international levels among tourism policymakers, lawmakers, tourism enterprises, NGOs, tourism workers, education and training institutions and general populations to reinforce institutional capacity to anticipate, coordinate, monitor and evaluate actions and programmes to lower risk factors,” said the Minister.

While the Centre has been created to assist all tourism nations across the globe, the Minister shared that the Caribbean is particularly vulnerable because it is the most tourism dependent region in the world.

“The most recent economic data indicate that the livelihood of one in every four Caribbean residents is linked to tourism. While travel and tourism contributes to 15.2 % of the region’s GDP in general and over 25% of the GDP of more than half of the countries. In the case of the British Virgin Islands, tourism contributes to 98.5% of GDP.
These figures underscore the importance of developing strategies for mitigating potential hazards that can destabilize tourism services in the region and cause long-term setback to sustainable growth and development,” he said.

During his presentation, the Minister announced that the Centre’s physical space is about 90% completed but is globally linked.

“Next week we go to Kenya to launch at the Kenyatta University, the first satellite centre for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre and then we will head to Kathmandu in Nepal on the first of January to launch the second one. There are also a number of others, which will be launched in 2020,” he said.

The two-day event is being hosted by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the IDB’s Environment, Rural Development and Disaster Risk Management (RND) Division and their Caribbean Country Department.

Over 50 local and regional experts in the field of tourism crisis management and communications and disaster risk management have participated in the event, which is taking place under the theme “Reinforcing Crisis Communication as a Critical Element of Caribbean Tourism Resilience and Disaster Risk Management.”

The event also forms part of part of the IDB’s series of consultations with authorities known as Regional Public Dialogue.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.

Minister Bartlett: Tourism Working Group report to help shape new architecture for subsectors

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that findings from the just concluded Tourism Working Group (TWG) report are ready and will be used to help shape a new architecture for the tourism subsectors.

The Tourism Working Group, established in July 2018 and lead by PricewaterhouseCoopers Senior Executive, Wilfred Baghaloo, was set up to review a range of issues within the sector including the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), work permits, ground transportation and entertainment, among others.

The intent of the report is to suggest the way forward for the industry and provide a series of recommendations for strong legislative and policy reforms.

Minister Bartlett, who made the announcement yesterday at a TWG meeting said, “We recognize that global changes in the industry have impacted the business arrangements for some of our indigenous players in various subsectors. The report has highlighted the need for us to retro fit and re-examine our own processes and see how our practices and models are faring against the new disruptive business models.”

The report includes over fifty (50) recommendations that can assist in informing national policies to build stronger partnerships and support for Jamaican businesses.

“Since we established the TWG, there has been several key meetings with foreign and local stakeholders as well as research on other tourism destinations to understand their policy framework.

This is with a view to creating a new architecture that will help build capacity for our suppliers to compete more effectively in an ever changing industry so they can do more and earn more,” added Minister Bartlett.

Co-Chairman of the TWG, Wilfred Baghaloo anticipates that “The next phase of the project will involve consultations among the various ministries and enactment of policies at the local level. Thereafter, there may be meetings with international representatives to discuss the way forward.”

The Minister noted that the findings would be reviewed thoroughly and a number of consultations would take place with relevant stakeholders before the findings are released to the public and any action is taken.

“We are happy that you were able to apply the level of rigour to the investigations which have now concluded with this document. We are excited to peruse it and look carefully on how we can apply some of the recommendations that you have made. We need to have further discussions with stakeholders, because we recognise that it is not going to be a one-glove fit all situation, but we certainly want to fit it right so that we protect the local sector, which is critical to us,” said Minister Bartlett.

He expressed gratitude to the team, which is chaired by Tourism Linkages Council head and Hotelier, Adam Stewart. As well as members such as: Prominent Business leaders, Michael McMorris and Godfrey Dyer; Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), President, Omar Robinson and Senior Executive, Nicola Madden-Greig; President of the Jamaica Cooperative Automobile and Limousine Services (JCAL), Brian Thelwell.

Other members include: Jamaica Vacations, Chairman, Bert Wright; National Craft Traders and Producers Association, President, Melody Haughton-Adams; Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Spencer and representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport; Ministry of Labour and Social Security; Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) and the Ministry of Tourism.

UNWTO: Tourism’s carbon emissions measured in report launched at COP25

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Transport-related emissions from tourism are expected to account for 5.3% of all man-made CO2 emissions by 2030, up from 5% in 2016, a landmark new report from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Transport Forum (ITF) shows. At the same time, as tourist numbers rise and the sector makes progress in achieving low-carbon travel, emissions per passenger kilometer are expected to decline over the coming decade. Against this backdrop, UNWTO calls for enhanced cooperation between the transport and tourism sectors to effectively transform tourism for climate action.

Launched at an official side-event of the One Planet Sustainable Tourism Program during the UN Climate Summit, COP25 in Madrid, the “Transport Related CO2 Emissions of the Tourism Sector” presents the emissions produced by the different modes of tourism transport. As the number of both international and domestic tourists continues to rise, this data is presented alongside the predicted growth in emissions to 2030 and is set against the so called ‘current ambition´ for the decarbonization of transport.

Presenting the report, UNWTO Executive Director Manuel Butler said: “This comprehensive study analyses the environmental impact of the different modes of transport within the tourism sector. It is now for the tourism sector, especially tourism policy makers to use data effectively and ensure the sector plays a leading role in addressing the climate emergency.”

Ovais Sarmad, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) addressed the need to scale efforts towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement: “While tourism is mentioned in many Nationally Determined Contributions as a big concern, not enough has yet been done. Industry must do more, but governments must align their policies, so that at the international level we can collectively work to increase ambition. The One Planet Sustainable Tourism Program is a vital ongoing mechanism to promote sustainable tourism around the world.”

Some of the main conclusions of the research include:

• Against the current ambition scenario, transport-related CO2 emissions from tourism are predicted to increase from 1,597 million tonnes to 1,998 million tonnes between 2016 and 2030, representing a 25% rise.

• During the same period, international and domestic arrivals are expected to increase from 20 billion to 37 billion, mainly driven by domestic tourism (from 18.8 billion to 35.6 billion), followed by international arrivals (1.2 billion to 1.8 billion).

• Transport-related emissions from tourism represented 5% of all man-made emissions in 2016 and will increase to 5.3% by 2030.

• Tourism related transport emissions represented 22% of all transport emissions in 2016 and will continue doing so in 2030 (21%).

Moving to a “high ambition scenario”

Tourism’s transport-related CO2 emissions remain a major challenge and require tourism to work closely with transport in order to support its commitment to accelerate the decarbonazition process and the implementation of a high ambition scenario.

In addition, the tourism sector must determine its own high ambition scenario, complementing the efforts of the transport sector. Here, tourism would advance towards significantly decoupling growth from emissions in order to grow within the international climate targets.

Minister Bartlett to conclude discussions for establishment of first Satellite Center in Kenya

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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett is currently in Kenya to conclude discussions for the establishment of the first Satellite Center for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center (GTRCMC), at the Kenyatta University.

Speaking at a meeting earlier today with Kenyan officials, at the offices of Minister of Tourism and Wildlife of Kenya, Hon Najib Balala, Minister Bartlett said, “I am very excited that we are very close to opening the first satellite center for the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center in Kenya. We will head to Kathmandu in Nepal on January 1 to launch the second one. There are also a number of others, which will be launched in 2020.”

The Satellite Center will focus on regional issues and will share information in Nano time with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center. It will then function as a think tank to develop possible solutions.

The Kenyatta University will collaborate with The University of the West Indies, and by extension the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center — that is tasked with assessing, forecasting, mitigating and managing risks related to tourism resilience, caused by various disruptive factors.

The universities are then expected to sign an MOU, which includes the facilitation of a strategic partnership as it relates to Research and Development; Policy Advocacy and Communication Management; Program/Project Design and Management and Training and Capacity Building.

Minister Balala expressed excitement at the opportunity to collaborate with the GTRCMC, located in Jamaica, as he believes the agreement will be mutually beneficial to both nations.

He also shared that he would, “hold the University’s hand and try to find ways on how we can resolve these issues – from funding but also implementation. They are beyond the tragedies; some of them are beneficial to us, not just as a country but also as a Ministry.”

Executive Director of the GTRCMC, Professor Lloyd Waller added that, “The establishment of satellite Centers will help to create a type of global think tank connected through digital technologies which will be able to share information, collaborate and resolve critical issues through a network of global experts.”

Minister Bartlett will later have bilateral talks with Minister Balala, who is Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council in his capacity as Chair of the Commission of the Americas regarding the Global Summit on Innovation Resilience and Crisis Management scheduled to be hosted by Jamaica on May 21-23, 2020. Jamaica will also host the 65th Regional meeting of the Americas.

The Minister is also in Kenya on official duties with Prime Minister Holness and other government officials. In this capacity, he will attend the he 9th ACP Summit of Heads of State and Government, along with the Prime Minister Holness and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon Kamina Johnson Smith.

The summit will look into ways of reducing, preventing and overcoming terrorism and insecurity to enhance development while also taking into consideration socioeconomic and cultural issues.

He will also meet with a group of private sector investors interested in Jamaica’s tourism product at a formal dinner hosted by Minister Balala on Tuesday night in Nairobi.

Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett returns to the island on Thursday, December 12, 2019.

Jamaica’s Manual on Tourism Ethics hailed by international community

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Jamaica’s Manual on Tourism Ethics scheduled to be released at the end of the year, has been hailed as innovative and timely by the intentional tourism community. The manual forms part of the outcomes of the island wide security audit of hotels and attractions undertaken earlier this year.

“The issue of safety and security remains a critical component of any destination’s assurance to visitors. Jamaica, in its commitment to ensuring safety and security for all visitors and locals alike, reviewed security arrangements of all hotels and attractions with a view to creating a new architecture and the manual of tourism ethics will guide that,” said Minister Bartlett.

Minister Bartlett commissioned the security audit to ensure that the destination remains safe, secure and seamless for visitors and locals alike. The audit was carried out by the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) with support from well-known international security expert Dr. Peter Tarlow.

Minister Bartlett highlighted the manual during his presentation yesterday as a key panellist on the World Travel Market (WTM) discussion on ‘Taking responsibility for Safety and Security’. Other panellists included German Porras, former Secretary of Tourism for Spain; John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs of Sri Lanka, Sethembiso Dlamini, COO and Acting CEO at South African Tourism; and Nikki White, Director of Destinations and Sustainability at ABTA.

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the JTB and features many Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Minister Bartlett added that, “This will be a first of its kind manual that will help to guide security arrangements for the region. It will be a game changer in the area of safety and security in the industry.”

Whilst at WTM, Minister Bartlett will use the opportunity to increase in outbound travels from the UK, Northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Nordic region to grow arrivals from these markets.

Minister Bartlett is expected to return to the island on November 8, 2019.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.

WTM: Ministers Summit hears how modern tech can help rural traditions

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Major global brands such as Google and Mastercard can help farmers, shopkeepers and restaurateurs to boost rural tourism, delegates heard today at World Travel Market (WTM) London – the event where ideas arrive.

Entrepreneurs and corporate leaders at the UNWTO & WTM Ministers’ Summit also urged tourism ministers from around the world to collaborate with businesses to help countryside communities.

 

The topic of the annual summit was ‘Technology for Rural Development’, and it aimed to lay the groundwork for further work in 2020, when ‘Rural Development and Tourism’ will be the theme for World Tourism Day 2020 on 27th September.

 

Diana Muñoz-Mendez, Senior VP, Global Tourism Partnerships at Mastercard, said the payments company is helping small rural businesses – farms, shops and restaurants – to take money digitally rather than use cash, as most travellers now pay by card.

 

Ann Don Bosco, Head of Grow at Google, said the tech giant has trained 120,000 people in rural Greek hotels to make the most of technology, and is looking to expand the initiative in Japan and Kenya.

 

Another scheme for farmers – this time in Turkey – was highlighted by Debbie Hindle, Managing Director at Four Travel, who said: “Rural tourism is not just about the tourists – the Taste of Fethiye initiative from the Travel Foundation encouraged farmers to produce food for local hotels, and tell tourists about it.

 

Another case study was presented by Santiago Camps, Chief Executive at Mabrian Technologies – which specialises in travel data analysis.

 

He said a network of heritage towns in rural Colombia helped improve the experience for travellers and spread the income from tourism beyond the usual attractions and cities. Gary Stewart, Director of business accelerator Wayra UK, highlighted destinations such as Sweden and Israel as good examples of places that are attractive to investors.

 

Ahmad al-Khatib, Chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, told the summit that Saudi Arabia has ambitious aims to develop tourism – but it also wants to preserve its unique rural heritage and traditions.

 

“For example, Airbnb hosts can offer a welcome in rural areas where there are not yet hotels,” he told ministers.

 

“You can stay with a family and see how they eat and dress.”

Established as the largest annual gathering of tourism ministers, the high-level think-tank was moderated by Nina Dos Santos, Europe Editor at CNN International.

 

She invited tourism ministers from Yemen, Guatemala, Panama, Albania, Bolivia, Colombia, Sierra Leone and Portugal to talk about the importance of rural development to help support tourism and national economies.

 

Examples of good practice ranged from mobile technology in Sierra Leone, to tax incentives for Colombian hotels, Wi-Fi initiatives in Portugal, sugar cane and cocoa products in Guatemala, and painted hats in Panama.

eTN is a media partner for WTM London.

 

WTM: Tackling climate change on Day 3 in London

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The 40th edition of WTM London began with a session exploring Decarbonising Travel and Tourism: Is the Industry Doing Enough? Speaking by video before the main panel, climate scientist professor Kevin Anderson laid out the scale of the challenge. He said that since the first IPCC report into climate change, there has been almost three decades of “abject failure” to reduce our emissions.

“If we include our international emissions, such as from aviation, shipping, imports and exports, we see that supposedly climate progressive nations such as the UK and Scandivian countries have actually made almost no progress,” said Anderson. He added that since tourism is an industry that is more of a luxury than many others, and one that is enjoyed more by the wealthier members of society, therefore it should look to lead much more than it currently does. He called on the industry to eliminate all carbon within a decade.

“We are overdependent on an old fashioned, highly polluting form of transport,” said Justin Francis, Co-founder & CEO, Responsible Travel. “We need to fly less, but everything at World Travel Market here is about growth. We cannot be growing aviation the way we are. We need to fly less. And massively fund decarbonisation.”

Asked what is actually happening in the industry, Madhu Rajesh, Director of the International Tourism Partnership, said that the global hotel chains that her organisation worked with are “beginning to come to the table”, with some setting science-based targets, and others saying they had ambition to set these targets. “We are seeing some examples of practical action,” she said, “but there’s a lot more that can be done.”

“If we wait for consumers to take action then we will be waiting a long time, said Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability, TUI Group PLC. “There’s a lot of chatter but people aren’t going to forgo their annual holiday. The onus is on us in the industry to make that holiday as sustainable as possible. And the onus is on governments to create the frameworks within which companies can take responsible action.”

“We shouldn’t gamble the future of the planet on the idea that a few more well meaning travellers will fly less,” commented Justin Francis, CEO of Responsibletravel.com “Other industries will look at us, and say how dare you – we are doing our part, why aren’t you?” He said the industry needs to end Frequent Flyer schemes that reward travellers for flying more, and instead introduce a Frequent Flyer Levy, where those that fly more (with 1% of the UK population taking 20% of the flights) pay an escalating fee the more flights they take each year.

Saskia Griep, Founder & CEO, Better Places agreed that the industry can’t wait for tourists to demand change. “We as a company are lobbying our government, We are against the expansion of airports, and for a carbon tax.” she said, explaining that her company isn’t waiting for the government either, but has imposed a carbon tax on themselves, which they are investing directly with a Dutch company called skyNRG that is developing more sustainable aviation fuels.

“People still ask are we in a climate emergency?” said Albert Dalmau, Manager of Economy, Resources and Economic Promotion, City Council of Barcelona. “Of course we are. It’s incredible that we still need to remark that we are in a climate emergency.”

The final event of this year’s World Travel Market responsible tourism programme looked at The Future of Aviation. “If aviation was a country, it would be the seventh largest carbon emitting country on earth, just behind Germany,” said Justin Francis, Co-founder & CEO, Responsible Travel. Furthermore, he added that aviation emissions are forecast to grow 300% by 2050, according to ICAO. In the UK, said Francis, aviation is forecast to be the number one cause of climate emissions by 2050.

Commenting on ICAO, Chris Lyle, CEO, Air Transport Economics said that the organisation has outlined four measures that it believes are needed to address the problem of growing emissions, which are Technology, Operations, Fuels and Offsetting. “All this is only leading towards carbon neutral growth, he said, “whereas we need absolute cuts.”

He said several of the airlines were aiming to be net zero by 2050. “There will be some form of demand management,” he said, “the sooner we get to individuals knowing their carbon impact and responding to it.”

Peter Castellas, CEO, Tasman Environmental Markets, argued in favour of rigorously audited offsetting. “There is a lot of disingenuous ideological rejection of offsetting,” he said. “I get to take money from large corporates and invest it in projects having real impacts. This is a tangible way we can move towards carbon neutrality.”

“We have 10 years to make the actions necessary to stay beneath 1.5 degrees,” said Justin Francis. “All of the science says that the growth in demand will swamp these initiatives. Only reducing demand and flying less will get us there in the timescale we have. We need a fair taxation of aviation, with the funds ploughed back into the solutions.”

“Taxation is coming,” said Chris Lyle, “but it needs to be hypothecated towards developments like sustainable fuels.”

WTM: The future of air travel and digital travel

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Advances in digital and artificial intelligence for air travel are coming in thick and fast, World Travel Market (WTM) London delegates heard.

Liam McKay, Director of Corporate Affairs at London City Airport told WTM delegates it won’t be long before biometrics replace paper documents and check in will be carried out somewhere else.

During a session entitled Gathering Storms, Airlines and Airports, he said: “In the future, there will be less space than you expect for check in. It won’t be done in the future at an airport. It will be done at your office or at home.

“Currently, we have travellers flying from London City who work at Canary Wharf can drop off bags at their offices.

“Soon you’ll be able to turn up without your passport. It will be more or less a paperless experience based on biometrics. That future is much closer than you think.”

Hank Jan Gerzee, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, told the moderator John Strickland the airport already has the facility for people to drop off luggage at the car park, before they get into the terminal.

In another development, the world’s first automatic bridge to allow passengers to walk off the aircraft and into the terminal, has been installed at Schiphol, speeding up the disembarkation process for flyers and helping aircraft to be more punctual.

Virtual assistants, multi-language websites and wearable technology will shape the future of digital travel, a WTM London session also heard today.

The themes emerged in a discussion entitled ‘Genesys Session: The Future of Digital Travel’ led by Paul Richer, founder of technology consultancy Genesys.

Daniel Wishnia, chief digital transformation officer at German property company Aroundtown said the $2.1 billion purchase of Fitbit by Google two weeks ago illustrated how important wearable health and tracking devices would be in future.

“The message is prediction – to try and understand a person’s behaviour, to see what that person will choose and buy.”

Virtual assistance and voice technology were part of this future, he said. “It’s not only about the weather forecast, it’s about where can I go? My assistant knows I like sushi, and recommends restaurants that are nearby. This kind of data will lead us to understand how we approach our future customers.”

Devices like Alexa and Google Assistant will eventually shape travel decisions through learning more about our tastes, lifestyle and health, he said.

“The assistant will be interactive; it will know your calendar and tell you it’s time to take a break.”

Joel Brandon-Bravo, vice president of travel solutions at translation service TransPerfect warned of the need for multi-lingual approaches. He said that of the $30 trillion growth in middle class consumption predicted between 2015 and 2030, only $1 trillion would not come from Asia. Similarly, there were no English speaking countries among the top 10 emerging markets.

Proxy technology, where an enquiry is redirected to a hosted site in the client’s own language, would permit new market penetration, he said. He also urged companies not to think that no new social media channels would emerge, citing the enormous recent growth of short form mobile video site TikTok.

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WTM: Exhibitor updates from Day Three in London

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World Travel Market (WTM) audiences today (Wednesday 6 November) heard how Malta has successfully repositioned itself as a youth travel destination, by embracing experiential tourism, driven by the power of live entertainment.

In a thought-provoking session on WTM’s Global Stage, called How the Power of Live Entertainment Can Put a Country on the Youth Map, Malta’s Minister of Tourism Konrad Mizzi explained how the destination partnered with MTV and Nickelodeon to achieve its aim.

As a result, holidays to Malta amongst MTV viewers increased 70% over the last five years.

Visit Jersey has hailed the success of a marketing initiative with fitness app Strava that drove an increase in visitors to the island.

A WTM London panel session entitled New Tech, Audiences & Channels: The Shifting Landscape in Digital Brand Engagement yesterday, (Tuesday 5 November) heard how Visit Jersey was the first destination management company to partner with the social fitness network, which is aimed primarily at runners and cyclists.

The initiative, the Jersey Runcation Challenge, in which participants signed up to run a marathon distance in 26 days, attracted nearly 31,000 participants. The prize was a two-night ‘runcation’ and place in the island’s marathon.

“Sports tourism can be a compelling reason to visit a destination,” said Meryl Laisney, Visit Jersey’s head of product. She said sports tourists spent an average £785 per visit to the island, compared to £483 from other visitors and stretched Jersey’s shoulder season appeal.

The island receives three-quarters of its visitors during the April-September period and the marathon, in October, is seen as one vehicle for Jersey to increase its off season visitor numbers.

Visit Wales highlighted its Year of Outdoors 2020 at WTM London with a panel of adventurers including former Wales rugby international Richard Parks.

Parks was the first to climb the highest mountain on all seven continents and stand on the North and South Pole in the same calendar year. He told how the Welsh natural environment had helped him overcome “the darkest period in my life” when his career ended through injury.

This, he said, had made him an advocate for the outdoors and wellbeing. He told how younger people could particularly benefit from spending more time in the natural environment. He spoke of the challenges for his children that “I did not have, and my parents did not have”, which arose from technology and told how the outdoors could bring relief.

“It’s that sense of respite it gives you from the unique stresses and strains of the 21st century. I see it as critical as a parent.”

Tourism to the Bahamas is showing signs it will recover quicker from the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian two months ago than other Caribbean islands that have also been affected by huge storms in recent years.

Joy Jibrilu, Director General of Tourism for the Bahamas, told An Audience with The Caribbean Tourism Organization that Grand Bahama Island – one of two main islands most badly hit – is now 80% open, although the Abaco Islands will take longer to bounce back.

She described Dorian as “unprecedented in terms of strength and length of time that it stayed over the Bahamas”.

She said: “Dorian approached as a Category 2 storm and was projected to grow to a Category 3. We went to bed and woke up the following morning to a Category 5, reaching 220-mph-strong winds. The Abacos looked apocalyptic. ”

Immediately after the storm, the Bahamas got word out “to the world at large, to the industry and to the Caribbean” and received “unprecedented support”, she said.

However, much of the outside world thought the whole of the Bahamas was closed and people became afraid to visit, she added.

A campaign ’14 islands welcome you’ was launched, but “people felt guilty coming over on holiday and being seen to have a time on the beach while people were suffering”, Jibrilu recalled.

“But our message was that you can help us best by coming and contributing to the economy so that we can help those impacted. You will see the biggest smile from the people who know your money will be going to help them.”

Furthermore, China wants to encourage more influencers and bloggers to visit lesser-known parts of the destination through new social media channels.

China National Tourist Office London, which promotes tourism to China in the UK, Ireland, Norway, Finland and Iceland, has set up social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and You Tube to increase awareness of the “spectacular, diverse land of China”.

The social media channels were soft launched at the BorderlessLive two-day festival in London during September.

As part of its strategy, CNTO London has also launched a China Creators Pod (CCP) to encourage social media influencers to visit less well-known parts of the country.

CCP includes a “match making” service to “marry up the right creator with the right project”, as well as organising fam and press trips for all types of content creators.

The platform will also provide cultural advice for influencers, including “dos and don’ts” when travelling in China, as well as giving European influencers the chance to interact with their counterparts in China.

Jamaica and Panama to establish multi-destination arrangement, says Minister Bartlett

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Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that Jamaica and the Republic of Panama is set to establish a multi destination arrangement, as part of efforts to strengthen tourism relations between both countries.

This announcement follows discussions with Minister of Tourism for Panama, His Excellency Ivan Alfaro, and Minister Bartlett at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London yesterday.

“Multi destination tourism is a strategy to increase the product offerings of the respective destinations but more so to enable better air connectivity between markets particularly, for long haul destinations. With this multi destination arrangement, Panama will become a hub for long haul flights and Emirates and Air China are among the two targeted carriers,” said Minister Bartlett.

The Jamaica Tourist Board and the Panamanian Tourism Authority will meet to conclude details of the arrangement by January 2020 for signing during FITUR in Spain.

“The second area of collaboration will be to explore how we can better leverage the Jamaican Diaspora that has contributed to the cultural enrichment of Panama.

The third and final area of collaboration will be resilience building in the region, which will include the establishment of a satellite Global Resilience and Crisis Management Centre at an agreed university in Panama,” added Minister Bartlett.

Jamaica has had diplomatic relations with Panama since 1966. Currently, COPA Airlines, which is the flag carrier of Panama, operates eleven (11) flights weekly into Jamaica.

The WTM is a major promotional platform for the JTB and features many Jamaican companies, creating the ideal opportunity to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Minister Bartlett, who is participating in WTM as part of efforts to increase outbound travels from the UK, Northern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and Nordic region to grow arrivals from these markets, will return to the island on November 8.

For more news about Jamaica, please click here.