Jamaica minister of tourism, Edmund Bartlett, has declared February 17th as ‘Global Tourism Resilience Day’ during a debut event at Expo 2020 in Dubai.

This particular day will showcase the need for the travel industry to focus on preparedness, crisis management, recovery and on-going resilience.

To mark the launch, the Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Center (GTRCMC) has joinedhands with the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council and the International Tourism Investment Corporation (ITIC).

The organizations hosted an in-depth forum at the DP World Pavilion at Expo 2020.

To quote Minister Bartlett, “The ability of the tourism industry to regenerate itself is well-known; it has been demonstrated by the recovery post-SARS, the terror attacks of 9/11, the economic disruption of 2007-08 and then the Covid-19 pandemic.Each caused a downturn in travel and tourism – with the most recent example being the most difficult, an existential disruption embracing every part of the world simultaneously.The most recent events have been unprecedented in their significance.But we have bounced back, and we are now in a position to grow exponentially; tourism has been the fastest growing industry in the world over the past 50-years and it will be again.”

Bartlettadded, “We need new methods to ensure a more balanced recovery – and a mechanism to ensure that nobody is left behind; Global Tourism Resilience Day will allow us to work toward this goal.Our ability to bounce back is a strong message, one we have taken to showcase how countries can anticipate, mitigate and overcome disruptions.”

GTRCMC co-founder and a former general secretary of the UNWTO, TalebRifai, said that a new resilience center will be created in Amman, the capital of Jordan.

The location follows centers in Jamaica and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Rifaiadded, “It is a great honour to have centre in Jordan – tourism is a wonderful industry, when you travel you become part of the world and have the opportunity to change it.We must all work to make the world a better place to live in.”

Global Tourism Resilience Day has been recognized by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the UNWTO, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) and other industry principal bodies.

GTRCMC plans to create a total of 11 centers, with a further eight to be revealed in the coming months.