64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Jamaica
: (876) 920-4926-30 | : info@mot.gov.jm

You are here

Minister Bartlett Welcomed to the International Tourism Hall of Heroes

Release Date: 
Monday, October 5, 2020 - 16:30

KINGSTON, Jamaica; September 29, 2020: Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett was recently welcomed into the International Tourism Hall of Heroes by the Rebuilding Travel Group, for his wide-ranging expertise and accomplishments in tourism.

The Minister was one of 16 tourism leaders from across the globe to receive the honour, during a virtual ceremony hosted on World Tourism Day 2020 (September 27).

During his acceptance speech, the Minister highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global tourism industry. 

“As global tourism seeks to rebound from the current crisis and anticipates equally disruptive forces in the future, the single most important challenge of the industry will be to respond to the question of its adaptability and sustainability,” said Bartlett.

“More so now than ever before, the adaptive tourism sector will be required to take account of its current and future economic, social, political and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities while fortifying its own capacity for risk management and resilience,” he added.

Also recognized from Jamaica was Diana McIntyre-Pike, for her role as a leader of community tourism and in the training of communities in entrepreneurship.

RebuildingTravel is a group of tourism leaders from 119 countries that came together when the COVID-19 pandemic became the largest threat the travel and tourism world has ever faced. It is a non-political pro-tourism industry group comprised of members of tourism boards, ministers of tourism, professional associations, industry stakeholders, researchers and academics, and travellers. The group is moving to unite the tourism industry as it faces its greatest challenge.