Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, proposed a US$10 billion Global Tourism Resilience Fund during his September 2026 address at the World Economic Forum in Geneva. Bartlett linked this fund proposal to Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 strategy, which expands tourism metrics beyond visitor numbers to include local prosperity, security, and systemic resilience.
Fund Structure and Rationale
The proposed Global Tourism Resilience Fund is designed with three financing windows: prevention, for investments in resilient infrastructure and protection of natural assets; rapid assistance, to support workers and small businesses after shocks; and resilient recovery, aimed at reducing vulnerability to future crises. Bartlett emphasized the need for
such a fund given the vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States and tourism-dependent economies, which often face outsized impacts from hurricanes and pandemics.
Tourism’s Economic Impact and Vulnerabilities
According to Bartlett, travel and tourism contributed US$11.6 trillion to the global economy in 2025 and supported 366 million jobs when accounting for supply chains and related income-dependent roles. He pointed to Hurricane Melissa’s 2026 disruption in Jamaica, noting the reopening of Royalton Negril in August restored hundreds of jobs, highlighting tourism’s role in household income and resilience. He also referenced the 74% decline in international tourist arrivals in 2020, underscoring tourism’s exposure to global shocks.
Tourism 3.0 Beneficiaries and Initiatives
Bartlett
outlined Tourism 3.0’s focus on broad stakeholder benefit, including workers, farmers, entrepreneurs, and communities. The Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, launched in 2022 following 2019 legislation, covers various occupational categories and self-employed tourism workers, providing retirement security. The Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation has trained and certified over 25,000 tourism workers, linking professional development with career advancement. The Tourism Linkages Network and its Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX) have connected local farmers to hotels, facilitating more than J$450 million in produce sales in 2024. The Local First initiative launched in 2025 aims to increase local ownership and participation in the tourism sector.
Institutional Foundations for Resilience
The
Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), established in 2019 at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, serves as a research and training institution focused on tourism crisis management. Additionally, Jamaica took a leadership role in establishing the United Nations observance of Global Tourism Resilience Day. Bartlett described these institutions as key elements supporting the continuous development of tourism resilience strategies.
Calls for Global Policy Integration
Bartlett urged international organizations, governments, and investors to incorporate tourism into global discussions on climate resilience, food security, infrastructure, economic security, and the future of work. He warned that small island states should not face globally
originated risks with only locally scaled resources, emphasizing tourism’s broad economic chain that includes farmers, workers, musicians, entrepreneurs, and youth developing relevant skills. Bartlett called on the World Economic Forum to convene a founding coalition for the Global Tourism Resilience Fund to enhance sustainable recovery worldwide.
Fund Ambition and International Cooperation
The proposed US$10 billion fund represents an ambitious target rather than currently committed financing. Bartlett indicated potential funding sources including public contributions, development finance, philanthropy, and private sector partnerships. He invited other countries and global institutions to examine Jamaica’s Tourism 3.0 framework and engage in cooperative efforts to build tourism resilience without specifying implementation
timelines or commitments.
