The first Global Tourism Resilience Day is set to be unveiled at a forum at Expo 2020 in Dubai on February 17.
The day dedicated to tourism resilience has been created by Jamaica’s tourism minister, Edmund Bartlett, who is also co-chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC).
The theme for the inaugural resilience day forum, held in partnership with the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council and the International Tourism Investment Corporation, will be Harnessing the Path to Recovery through Resilience and Investment.
Political leaders speaking at the forum will include Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, Spanish tourism minister Reyes Morato and Jordanian tourism minister Nayef Al-Fayez.
They will be joined by private sector speakers including Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International, and Julia Simpson, chief executive of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Bartlett said: “The focus will be on the ability of countries to build capacity to respond to international shocks and to be able to predict with greater certainty their responses.
“It will also aid countries in understanding and mitigating the effects of these shocks on their development, but most importantly, it will help them manage and recover quickly afterwards.”
Addressing a perception that the industry had previously proven its resilience with strong rebounds from previous crises, he added: “Over the past two years, the pandemic has tested this presumed industry resilience more than any previous disruptive event in modern history. It has forced all destinations, irrespective of size, location and attributes, into survival mode.”
Professor Lloyd Waller, GTRCMC executive director, said: “The GTRCMC is thrilled to have an annual day, February 17, dedicated to resilience. We will strive to identify best practices, lessons learned and services that assist the industry in building resilience.
“Through the centre and its partners there will be academic rigour to support the shared knowledge around good practices.”
Taleb Rifai, co-chair of the GTRCMC and Resilience Council, added: “Dubai Expo offers a perfect space to showcase our work and build global partnerships with key decision makers continuing our mission to provide guidance to global, regional, and national tourism stakeholders.”
The Global Tourism Resilience Forum will take place at the DP World Pavilion in Dubai from 1pm to 5.30pm local time, and will also be accessible virtually for those unable to attend in person.