Jamaica has been awarded the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA’s) Destination Resilience Award for its recovery efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and tourism resilience-building initiatives.

The award recognises destinations with a deliberate focus on resilience as indicated by their commitments to address some or all of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO’s) 17 sustainable development goals.

Special emphasis is placed on highlighting destinations that subscribe to a collaborative and partnership-focused approach, engaging public and private sector stakeholders in innovative, needs-driven strategies.

Jamaica was at the forefront of thought leadership at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. Under the stewardship of Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, immediately created a COVID-19 Recovery Taskforce with public and private sector stakeholders.

Based on the innovative initiatives of this Taskforce, the country reopened its borders in June 2020 and never closed since.

In accepting the award, Bartlett said, “This award is for my entire tourism team and all our private and public sector partners who immediately saw the need to keep the lifeblood of the country open. From the minds and hard work of the team, Jamaica was first out of the blocks on the road to recovery.”

The minister was also honoured by CHTA for his tireless work to successfully establish the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Managaement Centre (GTRCMC) and for his advocacy on behalf of promoting cooperation and collaboration among Caribbean countries.

Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, Donovan White, said: “It was no easy feat to reopen our borders in such a short space of time and this award highlights the importance of partnerships in a crisis. We’re truly grateful and deeply honored to receive this distinction.”

Robust health and safety protocols were implemented to help mitigate the spread of the disease. In fact, these protocols received the World Travel and Tourism Council’s ‘Safe Travels’ stamp of approval. With the creation of Resilient Corridors, Jamaica was able to resume tourism activities safely and seamlessly as these designated areas had a strong COVID-19 infrastructure in place.

For her part, President of the CHTA, Mrs. Nicola Madden-Greig, said: “It is a pleasure to recognise my home country with this destination resilience award as it validates the countless hours and effort that went into the recovery through our public and private sector partners to ensure the survival of tourism.”

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