Bartlett to establish satellite tourism-resilience centre in Nepal
MINISTER OF Tourism Edmund Bartlett has announced that the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) will, on January 1, conclude discussions for a memorandum of understanding to establish a satellite centre in Nepal.
Bartlett will leave the island tomorrow for Nepal to conclude those discussions on the establishment of the centre. The discussions about the satellite centre began during the Global Resilience Summit in London last month, when Minister of Tourism for Nepal Yogesh Bhattarai invited Bartlett to his country.
Bartlett’s visit is significant as it will coincide with the country’s ‘Return of Nepal’ campaign, which marks its recovery from a powerful rainstorm that swept across two districts of southern Nepal, killing at least 28 and injuring more than 1,100 people last year.
“My visit is timely as it speaks to the very essence of what the GTRCMC is all about – recovering from disruptions. What we are also seeing is an international confluence as it relates to the GTRCMC, and this speaks to the need for resilience building in the tourism industry.
“Like other satellite centres, this one in Nepal will focus on regional issues and will share information in Nano time with the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre. They will then function as think tanks to develop possible solutions,” said Bartlett.
Most recently, a satellite centre was established in Kenya, and the GTRCMC will be establishing satellite centres in Seychelles, South Africa, Nigeria, and Morocco to expand its reach within the continent.
Ministers from each member state have the responsibility of identifying a university in their respective country to collaborate with The University of the West Indies and, by extension, the GTRCMC.
“We are in an age where tourism is still susceptible to many global disruptions that span climatic events like hurricanes, terrorism, and cybercrime. Many countries are heavily dependent on tourism, especially the Caribbean, and as such, we must safeguard its future by building resilience. This is why the GTRCMC and satellite centres are critical to the industry at this time,”added Bartlett.
The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management
Centre, which was first announced in
2017, operates in a global context that is characterised by not only new challenges but also new opportunities for tourism in an effort to improve the tourism product and ensure the sustainability of tourism globally.
‘Many countries are heavily dependent on tourism, especially the Caribbean, and as such, we must safeguard its future by building resilience.’