By Rochelle Williams
KINGSTON, Jamaica, (JIS) – This year’s third annual Global Tourism Resilience Conference will focus on the integration of technology solutions in bolstering the resilience and sustainability of the global tourism industry.
The event, under the theme ‘Building Tourism Resilience Through Digital Transformation’, will be held from February 17 to 19 at the Princess Grand Hotel in Hanover.
It will bring together tourism partners from around the globe to exchange ideas, experiences and visions for building a more sustainable and resilient tourism industry worldwide. The three-day event will include the observance of Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17.
Addressing Wednesday’s press conference at the tourism ministry’s New Kingston offices, minister, Edmund Bartlett, said that the conference “will explore cutting-edge technologies and strategies that are crucial for the sector’s adaptability and long-term sustainability, especially in the wake of recent global challenges.”
Tourism minister Bartlett, said it will include panel discussions, networking opportunities, presentations, and lively debates on matters “that are central to future-proofing travel and tourism against various disruptions moving forward.”
Minister Bartlett said that expert panels will cover a range of topics, including the strategic applications of digital solutions to improve resilience and sustainability of tourist destinations, leveraging big data and artificial intelligence (AI) for effective resource management and disaster preparedness, and ensuring robust cybersecurity to protect digital and physical assets.
The minister said that discussion will also focus on innovative financial strategies with stakeholders like the International Tourism Investment Corporation Limited to support the funding of digital resilience projects.
Activities will also include a practical demonstration of Jamaica’s resilient tourism infrastructure and will feature a showcase of the latest technological innovations from leading firms, including advanced tools for crisis management and sustainable tourism practices.
“The cyberspace is influencing so much of the outcomes of tourism and more so looking at how the integrity of the tourism product and the tourism experience is going to be guaranteed and enhanced.
“So, as we delve further into this new and exciting science, which is driving much of what is happening globally, we have to position tourism within that space and to enable tourism to be able to manipulate cybersecurity arrangements for the protection and security of visitors from across the globe,” minister Bartlett said.