Visit comes as island prepares to host UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas meeting in June
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili is to make an official visit to Jamaica in June.
The visit was confirmed today (May 20) during a high-level meeting in Madrid, Spain between the Secretary General and a Jamaican delegation led by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and his fellow Cabinet colleague, Senator Aubyn Hill, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.
Speaking with Our Today from Spain this morning, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett hailed today’s meeting as a huge success, one in which the safety of Jamaica’s tourism was given the seal of approval by the UNWTO. Bartlett advised that the secretary general, who will be making his first visit to the English-speaking Caribbean, recognised Jamaica as having a strong world class tourism product that is safe.
“Jamaica’s resilient corridor was hailed as an innovation, where tourists can go to a destination and operate in a bubble; stay free from [COVID-19] infection and not transmitting (pandemic) to the host population.”
Edmund Bartlett, minister of tourism
In fact, Bartlett boasted that Jamaica is the third country in the world to receive the Safe Travel seal from the World Travel and Tourism Council.
He told Our Today that, “Jamaica’s resilient corridor was hailed as an innovation, where tourists can go to a destination and operate in a bubble; stay free from [COVID-19] infection and not transmitting (pandemic) to the host population”.
Discussions during today’s high level meeting
During their meeting, the UNWTO secretary general and the Jamaican ministers discussed strategies to foster the rebound of the global tourism industry. In addition, they also finalised plans for Jamaica to host the UNWTO Regional Commission for the Americas (CAM) meeting from June 23-24, 2021.
Jamaica currently chairs the CAM and will relinquish its position at the General Assembly in Morocco in October. The Cabinet of Jamaica has since approved Jamaica’s candidacy for the UNWTO Executive Council for the period 2022-2026.
The secretary general is expected to visit Jamaica for the CAM meeting in June as well as an official tour of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre.
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