Jamaica gears up for ‘Generation C’ tourists

A new breed of post-pandemic traveller will be central to rebuilding the shattered tourism industry — but only with plenty of hand-holding. Dubbed Generation C, the new breed of explorer will not be of any particular age, but will be scarred by the experience of living through a public-health emergency and will be putting safety first, said Edmund Bartlett, the tourism minister of Jamaica. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Caribbean Tourism Organization chapter in the U.K., he said: “Generation C will be unsettled by the crisis they have lived through this year. They will need reassurance and evidence that their experience overseas will enhance their lives — not put their loved ones at risk.” He urged tourism operators to respond to the “new sensitivities” of post-pandemic tourists and predicted new standards of hygiene, sanitation and safety would, without doubt, “become the new norm.” In Jamaica, these measures will include protocols for behaviour at swimming pools, on beaches and in restaurants, Bartlett said. He added: “We as an island and as part of the global travel and tourism industry need to adapt swiftly to the requirements of this new type of traveller post-pandemic.”