MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett says the upcoming United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) conference will provide a platform to inform global tourism interests that less than 10 per cent of the Caribbean was devastated by the recent passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The UNWTO, Government of Jamaica, World Bank Group, and the Inter-American Development Bank will be hosting a conference themed Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism at the Montego Bay Convention Centre from November 27-29.

“We want a narrative to be created which makes the world understand a little more about the geography of the Caribbean. But, more so, we want an understanding that more than 90 per cent of the Caribbean was unscathed by any of those climatic events,” Bartlett said.

He said, too, that methods to address the recovery of the islands badly affected by the hurricanes will also form part of the subjects on the agenda for discussion at the conference.

“And that the Caribbean is intact but, more so, the best way to help in the recovery programme for those islands that are affected is not to stay away from the Caribbean, but to visit the Caribbean,” Bartlett remarked.

He was speaking at a press conference at the headquarters of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Bartlett noted that the first day of the conference will take on added significance for prime ministers in the Caribbean.

“This conference positioning, as it is, will speak to how we make the industry more impactful on the economies of the Caribbean. So, for us, the conference has taken a greater meaning for the Caribbean as a result of the recent climatic events,” the tourism minister said.

“The whole issue of resilience has to be discussed, we have to look at climatic change in a very strong way, and the future of the Caribbean. Where are we going? Is it true that we are going to be having more severe climatic events… or is this just an argument? Is there need for some sort of scientific investigation? The incidence of three mega hurricanes back to back, is that a phenomenon? Is that a one in a 50-year phenomenon? Is it something that happens every 1,000 years, or is it something that you expect to be happening all around?” he continued.

Bartlett expressed that investors want to be sure of future climatic conditions in order to make investments.

“We need to be sure about that because investors want to be secured in terms of the future of their investments. We want our region to be also positioned in a way where investment is not shying away from it, but investment is coming to it,” Bartlett said. “We are fully aware [of], for example, what has happened in Houston as a result of Harvey’s activity. After Harvey the investors decided ‘we [are] not rebuilding’. We can’t have that happening in the Caribbean, because if that happens in the Caribbean, then it’s the economies of the Caribbean [that will suffer].”

The conference, is expected to bring together world leaders from the tourism industry with governments, donors, international development and finance organisations to design and coordinate an international road map, and foster collaborative relationships for inclusive economic and social development via tourism.

It will also identify successful models and future initiatives of public-private partnerships that will contribute to sustainable tourism development globally.

So far, more than 300 participants from 60 countries have registered to attend the November event.

— Horace Hines