Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has called for the establishment of a US$10 billion Global Tourism Resilience Fund aimed at providing dedicated support to Small Island Developing States and tourism-dependent economies. Presenting his vision at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Bartlett emphasized that tourism should occupy the central place in global development strategy, measured by its contributions to prosperity and resilience for local communities, not just visitor arrivals and earnings.
Global Scale and Economic Impact of Tourism
Bartlett cited estimates from the World Travel & Tourism Council that travel and tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to the global economy in 2025 and supported 366 million
jobs worldwide when including wider supply chains. This level of economic activity represents nearly 10% of global GDP and about one in nine jobs, underscoring the need to incorporate tourism fully in discussions of economic security, food systems, infrastructure, and employment futures.
Vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States
Small Island Developing States face disproportionate challenges due to limited infrastructure, geographic isolation, and exposure to natural disasters. Bartlett highlighted Jamaica’s experience with Hurricane Melissa, which forced the temporary closure of the Royalton Negril resort. Its reopening in August restored employment for hundreds of workers, illustrating the human cost of tourism disruption. Bartlett stated that small islands should
not confront global risks with only local-scale resources, a situation made evident by a 74% fall in global international tourist arrivals in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 Strategy
To strengthen tourism’s developmental impact, Jamaica promotes Tourism 3.0, a holistic model integrating tourism with the national economy. The approach aims to increase local ownership, supply chains, and employment security. Key components include the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, legislated in 2019 and launched in 2022, which extends benefits across occupational categories including self-employed workers. Bartlett stressed that tourism workers should have security approaching retirement.
The Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation has trained and
certified over 25,000 tourism workers, emphasizing professional development linked to career advancement. The Tourism Linkages Network and the Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) further connect local farmers and businesses with the tourism sector, facilitating more than J$450 million in produce sales in 2024. Bartlett noted, “A hotel purchase can support a farmer’s next planting, a rural household and the businesses serving that community. This is how tourism’s reach extends beyond the resort gate.” In 2025, Jamaica established the Local First initiative to enhance Jamaican supply, ownership, and earnings within tourism.
Building Resilience and Institutional Support
Jamaica hosts the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre at The
University of the West Indies, established in 2019 to provide research and training on crisis preparedness. The country pioneered COVID-19 Resilient Corridors, providing operational lessons in safe reopening. Jamaica also led in creating the United Nations observance of Global Tourism Resilience Day to promote global preparedness. Bartlett described these initiatives as foundational elements of Tourism 3.0 and called on other nations to examine Jamaica’s model.
Bartlett said, “Our proposition is that a small island can contribute a model of development with global relevance.” He outlined five long-term policy priorities for tourism: human capital investment; sustained reinvestment in destinations and communities;
modern infrastructure and enhanced visitor experience; improved air connectivity; and destination assurance and resilience. These priorities are intended to guide sustainable tourism development that benefits local people and supports economic recovery.
