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Minister Bartlett to Participate in Commonwealth Business Forum

Release Date: 
Tuesday, June 28, 2022 - 11:15

KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 20, 2022: Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has been invited to participate in a high-level panel discussion on ways to future-proof the international tourism industry to enable it to withstand global shocks, at the Commonwealth Business Forum 2022, being held in Kigali, Rwanda.

On Wednesday June 22, Minister Bartlett will join several other global thought leaders to discuss “Sustainable Tourism and Travel.”

The other confirmed panellists include Gibraltar’s Minister for Business, Tourism and the Port, Hon. Vijay Daryanani; Founder and CEO, Space for Giants, United Kingdom, Dr. Max Graham; CEO, Rwandair, Rwanda Yvonne Makolo; CEO, Africa Wildlife Foundation, Kenya, Kaddu Sebunya; and Vice Chairman, Luxmi Tea, India, Rudra Chatterjee.

Minister Bartlett underscored that the forum is well-timed.  “This discussion is quite timely in light of all the challenges that are facing the global economy in general as well as industries such as tourism. It is the coming together for discussions such as this that will help us find suitable solutions to protect our destinations and our economies.”

The panel discussion will focus on how Commonwealth countries will ensure that the efforts towards industry recovery and growth will prioritise environmental sustainability and conservation, among other key areas.

The Minister noted that “the tourism industry will only be sustainable if we continue to take proactive steps to ensure that we foster tourism development that meets the current needs of tourists, the tourism industry and host communities without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Following his stop in Rwanda, Minister Bartlett will travel to Lisbon, Portugal on Monday June 27 to attend the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference. Co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, the Conference will focus on, among other things, shared solutions to boost the recovery of the tourism sector that are anchored in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. Prime among them will be - “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: Stocktaking, partnerships and solutions.”

The discussions will also surround “promoting and strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, in particular for Small Island Developing States and Least developed Countries.”

Minister Bartlett will be the Keynote Speaker during the Sustainable Coastal and Marine Tourism Launch Event, which has been convened by the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) as well as an official side event, convened by the Ocean Panel, the Government of Jamaica and the Stimson Center.

Minister Bartlett left this island today, (Monday June 20), and is slated to return on Saturday July 2, 2022.