Human Capital Development Critical to the Future of Tourism

LONDON, United Kingdom; Tuesday, November 7, 2023: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett is urging destinations to invest in their human capital development, which will be critical to the industry's future. Speaking at the World Travel Market's Ministers' Summit in London yesterday (November 6), Minister Bartlett highlighted that the future of the industry relies on its workers and their ability to innovate and create new ideas.

"Jamaica has always been a thought leader in driving human capital development because our most important resource in tourism is our workers. They are the ones who, through their high touch service and hospitality, have kept visitors returning at a 42% repeat rate and have become a core part of our growth strategy," said Minister Bartlett.

The Ministers' Summit at World Travel Market (WTM) was executed in association with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) under the theme 'Transforming Tourism Through Youth and Education' and featured Tourism Ministers from across the globe. The Ministers gave their perspective on the importance of training and development of the youth in tourism and the various programmes being undertaken in their countries.

"Through our training and certification arm, the Jamaica Centre for Tourism Innovation (JCTI), we are training our high school students in fourteen colleges and tourism workers to become certified. Since 2017 over 15 thousand certifications have been awarded to Jamaicans in the areas of customer service, restaurant servers and executive chefs to name a few,” said the Minister of Tourism.

"If we train our young people, then they can be classified which will change the labour market arrangements to allow them to be rewarded based on merit and equity," he added.

The World Travel Market, one of the largest tourism trade shows,  facilitates £2.8 billion in industry deals and has around 5,000 exhibitors from 182 countries and regions and more than 51,000 participants.