Leaders gathering in Jamaica to take on tourism’s challenges: Travel Weekly

Caribbean tourism is back on track, with numbers on several islands matching or in some cases exceeding prepandemic levels.

But that doesn’t mean tourism officials aren’t watching out for the next potential crisis.

Natural disasters, financial and workforce issues, crime and political instability are just some of the issues that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre plans to discuss when it convenes its inaugural conference in Jamaica Feb. 15 to 17. Attendees will assemble from all corners of the globe, with one goal in mind: improving the state of tourism, not just in the Caribbean but worldwide.

“We are all dependent on tourism for economic well-being because it’s a global industry,” said Kenneth Bryan, the Cayman Islands minister of tourism. “It operates in such a dynamic environment. There are so many interconnected sectors that are vulnerable to negative impacts.”

The three-day conference, to be held at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters in St. Andrew, will have 40 international speakers discussing a variety of subjects. While in-person attendance is limited to 200, the conference will be streamed online. Organizers hope the event will draw attendees not just from the tourism sector but also heads of government, academics and investors, among others. So far, representatives and attendees from countries including Jamaica, Grenada and Bahamas are scheduled to speak as are seven government representatives from African…