Pictured: Minister of Tourism, Found and Co-Chair off the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, Hon Edmund Bartlett addressing attendees at the 4th Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference and Expo in Nairobi, Kenya.

NAIROBI; Kenya; February 17, 2026 – Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, yesterday delivered a powerful call to action for the global tourism community to move ‘From Crisis to Transformation’ as he addressed the opening of the 4th Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference and Expo in Nairobi, Kenya.

Hosted in partnership with the Government of Kenya and anchored by the Kenyatta University, the conference convened global tourism leaders, policymakers, academics, and private sector stakeholders to examine the urgent need for building resilience in an era of constant disruption.

Speaking under the conference theme ‘From Crisis to Transformation’, Minister Bartlett outlined the overlapping global challenges reshaping tourism, including climate shocks, health-security threats, geopolitical instability, economic volatility, public safety concerns, cybercrime, and the growing threat of misinformation and disinformation.

“We gather in a time when disruption is no longer occasional, but constant,” Bartlett stated. “Tourism must not merely survive disruption—tourism must be redesigned to withstand it.” He underscored that tourism is uniquely vulnerable because it depends on confidence. When confidence declines, visitor arrivals, jobs, and livelihoods are immediately affected. “Resilience is not optional. It is a discipline—lived, practiced, tested, and renewed,” he said.

Pictured: Minister of Tourism, Found and Co-Chair off the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, Hon Edmund Bartlett pauses for a photo opportunity with (L-R), Minister of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, South Sudan, Hon Denay Chagor, Hon Rebecca Miano, EGH, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya, Hon Augusto Laurindo Kalikemala, Secretary of State, Minister of Tourism, Angola and Hon Kwete Lobo Valere, Charge d’etude, Minister of Tourism, Democratic Republic of Congo.

A central focus of this year’s address was the accelerating digital threat landscape. Minister Bartlett warned that misinformation and disinformation can inflict economic damage within hours, undermining a destination’s reputation and traveller confidence.

“A false story can empty hotels. A distorted clip can trigger cancellations. Disinformation weaponizes fear,” he noted. He also stressed that cyber threats—such as ransomware attacks, data breaches, and system outages—pose significant operational and reputational risks across the tourism value chain. “Resilience today means defending not only infrastructure, but information space. Not only the physical journey, but the digital journey,” Bartlett said.

Minister Bartlett also renewed his call for the establishment of a Global Tourism Resilience Fund to support the ongoing work of the GTRCMC and its growing international network of resilience Centres. The proposed Fund would finance rapid technical support in times of crisis; strengthen cybersecurity and data protection systems; build misinformation response capabilities; and support research, early warning systems, and resilience dashboards among other areas.

“If resilience is a global priority, it must also have a global financing instrument,” Bartlett declared. “Let us move from speeches to structures. From recognition to resourcing. From applauding resilience to underwriting resilience.”

Minister Bartlett also reflected on the journey toward establishing Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17 annually, noting that it was built ‘crisis by crisis, lesson by lesson.’ The observance serves as a global checkpoint to ensure preparedness remains central to tourism policy and practice. The annual observance aligns governments, strengthens private sector continuity planning, deepens community safety nets, and empowers research institutions to convert lived experiences into actionable strategies.

“We are proud of Jamaica’s thought leadership and foresight of our Minister of Tourism which produced the concept of a Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and ultimately the establishment of Global Tourism Resilience Day,” said Professor Lloyd Walller Executive Director of the GTRCMC.

Minister Bartlett commended Kenya’s forward-thinking leadership in placing research and knowledge at the centre of tourism resilience. He noted that conferences such as the GTRCMC Tourism Resilience Conference play a critical role in turning experience into shared learning, research into practice, and partnership into projects.

 For more information about Jamaica and the GTRCMC go to www.visitjamaica.com  and www.gtrcmc.org

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ABOUT THE JAMAICA TOURIST BOARD  

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. JTB offices are also located in Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are in Berlin, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Tokyo and Paris.

Jamaica is home to some of the world’s best accommodations, attractions and service providers that continue to receive prominent global recognition. In 2025, TripAdvisor® ranked Jamaica as the #13 Best Honeymoon Destination, #11 Best Culinary Destination, and #24 Best Cultural Destination in the World. In 2024, Jamaica was declared ‘World’s Leading Cruise Destination’ and ‘World’s Leading Family Destination’ for the fifth consecutive year by the World Travel Awards, which also named the JTB the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Tourist Board’ for the 17th consecutive year.

Jamaica earned six Travvy Awards, including a gold for ‘Best Travel Agent Academy Program’ and silver for ‘Best Culinary Destination – Caribbean’ and ‘Best Tourism Board – Caribbean’. The destination also received bronze recognition for ‘Best Destination – Caribbean’, ‘Best Wedding Destination – Caribbean’, and ‘Best Honeymoon Destination – Caribbean’. Additionally, Jamaica received a TravelAge West WAVE award for ‘International Tourism Board Providing the Best Travel Advisor Support’ for a record-setting 12th time.

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the JTB’s Website at www.visitjamaica.com or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422). Follow the JTB on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube. View the JTB blog at www.visitjamaica.com/blog/.