Bartlett Elected New Chair of OAS Inter-American Committee on Tourism

KINGSTON, Jamaica; December 1, 2021: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett was elected by acclamation as the new Chairman of the esteemed Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Committee on Tourism (CITUR), during a meeting of the Integral Council for Development (CIDI) yesterday.

“I am very happy to have been chosen for this very important role, which will help move the tourism industry forward, during this on-going pandemic. I thank the members for their faith in me and look forward to continuing the process of working with each member state in the months to come,” said Bartlett.

“I pledge to enhance engagement with all delegations to guarantee that the Americas area not only survives but thrives in the post-pandemic era and beyond,” he added.

In his acceptance remarks, he also urged the region to "not accept what was nor what is but what must be" to address the pandemic's difficulties and heal and thrive. As a result, the Americas will have a strong tourism sector, which will provide more jobs and economic well-being for its citizens.

Minister Bartlett urged the Member States to work together for the recovery and future of tourism, emphasizing the need for innovation and investment in priority products and people. He also complimented his Vice Chairs from Ecuador and Paraguay.

Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States are all members of CITUR, the most prestigious tourist organization in the Americas.

The meeting took place in Madrid, Spain, on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations World Tourism Organization’s General Assembly, which Minister Bartlett is also actively participating in.

The Organization of American States is the world's oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States in October 1889 to April 1890 in Washington, D.C. The International Union of American Republics was established at that summit. The stage was set for weaving a web of provisions and institutions that became known as the inter-American system, the world's oldest international institutional framework.