Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, called for the establishment of a US$10 billion Global Tourism Resilience Fund during his address at the World Economic Forum in Geneva.
Bartlett presented this proposal alongside Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 strategy, which aims to integrate agriculture, manufacturing, culture, technology, and domestic capacities into the tourism economy to measure success by prosperity and resilience for local communities rather than visitor numbers alone.
Global Tourism Resilience Fund Structure and Objectives
The proposed fund would have three distinct financing windows: prevention, rapid assistance following shocks, and resilient recovery. It would support resilient infrastructure, early-warning systems, business preparedness, and conservation of natural assets such
as reefs and mangroves.
The rapid assistance window aims to help tourism workers and small businesses navigate interruptions in earnings and maintain essential services. The resilient recovery window would facilitate rebuilding with lower vulnerability to future crises.
Funding sources for the resilience fund are expected to include public contributions, development finance, philanthropy, and private sector partners. Bartlett urged international institutions and governments to create a coalition to mobilize and govern the fund.
Tourism’s Economic Impact and Vulnerabilities
According to estimates cited by Bartlett, travel and tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to the global economy in 2025 and supported 366 million jobs, including supply chains, accounting for
nearly one-tenth of global output and one in nine jobs worldwide.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the sector’s vulnerability, with international tourist arrivals falling by 74% in 2020. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face particular risks due to reliance on limited airports, ports, and coastal infrastructure, often sharing vulnerable coastlines between homes, hotels, and businesses.
Recent damage to Jamaica’s Royalton Negril hotel from Hurricane Melissa, which reopened in August 2026, highlighted the consequences for employment, as hundreds of workers regained their livelihoods following recovery.
Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 Strategy and Initiatives
Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 framework seeks to redefine tourism success by focusing on local ownership, national prosperity, and
resilience. It integrates local agriculture, culture, manufacturing, and technology with tourism to create an inclusive economy.
The Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, legislated in 2019 and launched in 2022, provides pension coverage for tourism workers, including eligible self-employed individuals.
The Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation has trained and certified over 25,000 workers, linking professional development with career advancement. Bartlett emphasized that recognized competence and credible career paths are critical to professional dignity.
The Tourism Linkages Network and its Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) connect local producers with tourism buyers. In 2024, ALEX facilitated more than J$450 million in sales, supporting farmers and local
businesses by integrating them into the tourism supply chain.
Jamaica launched the Local First initiative in 2025 to increase local participation in tourism ownership and supply. The government is developing a Tourism Supply Logistics Centre to reduce barriers between domestic producers and large tourism buyers.
The Tourism Innovation Incubator fosters Jamaican entrepreneurs creating new tourism products and technology, including AI and digital platforms, to enhance local capabilities and economic opportunities.
Resilience and Institutional Support
Jamaica hosts the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre at the University of the West Indies, established in 2019, providing a research and training base for tourism crisis resilience
globally.
The country’s COVID-19 Resilient Corridors initiative demonstrated practical approaches to destination assurance and reopening coordination during the pandemic.
Jamaica led the establishment of the United Nations observance of Global Tourism Resilience Day to promote awareness of tourism preparedness and resilience worldwide.
Bartlett stated, “I come before you with a conviction born of Jamaica’s experience: tourism belongs at the nucleus of global development,” and emphasized tourism’s role in supporting farmers, workers, and communities for a sustainable future.
