Bartlett renews call for Global Tourism Resilience Fund amid mounting global crises
Published:Tuesday | February 17, 2026 | 1:30 PM
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has renewed his call for a Global Tourism Resilience Fund, urging world leaders to institutionalise crisis preparedness.
Speaking at the opening of the 4th Global Tourism Resilience Day Conference and Expo in Nairobi, Kenya, Bartlett urged the international tourism community to move decisively “from crisis to transformation,” warning that disruption is no longer episodic but constant.
The fund would, among other things, support the work of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) and its expanding international network of resilience centres.
The proposed fund would provide rapid technical support in times of crisis; strengthen cybersecurity and data protection systems; build misinformation response capabilities; and support research, early warning systems and resilience dashboards.
“If resilience is a global priority, it must also have a global financing instrument,” Bartlett declared.
“Let us move from speeches to structures. From recognition to resourcing. From applauding resilience to underwriting resilience.”
He also reflected on the journey toward establishing Global Tourism Resilience Day, observed annually on February 17, noting that it was built “crisis by crisis, lesson by lesson,” and now serves as a global checkpoint to keep preparedness central to tourism policy and practice.
Professor Lloyd Waller, executive director of the GTRCMC, said Jamaica’s thought leadership had elevated resilience from concept to global movement.
“We are proud of Jamaica’s foresight, which produced the concept of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre and ultimately the establishment of Global Tourism Resilience Day,” Waller said.
The conference, hosted in partnership with the Government of Kenya and held at Kenyatta University, convenes global tourism leaders, policymakers, academics and private sector stakeholders to examine the urgent need to build resilience in an era of overlapping global shocks.
“We gather in a time when disruption is no longer occasional, but constant. Tourism must not merely survive disruption; tourism must be redesigned to withstand it,” said Bartlett.
He cited climate shocks, health security risks, geopolitical instability, economic volatility, public safety concerns, cybercrime, and the growing weaponisation of misinformation and disinformation as some of the threats reshaping the industry.
Tourism, he stressed, is uniquely vulnerable because it depends on confidence.
“When confidence declines, visitor arrivals, jobs and livelihoods are immediately affected. Resilience is not optional. It is a discipline — lived, practised, tested and renewed.”
Bartlett warned that misinformation and disinformation can inflict economic damage within hours, undermining a destination’s reputation and traveller confidence.
“A false story can empty hotels. A distorted clip can trigger cancellations. Disinformation weaponises fear,” he cautioned.
Beyond reputational risks, he highlighted the operational dangers posed by cyber threats such as ransomware attacks, data breaches and system outages across the tourism value chain.
“Resilience today means defending not only infrastructure, but the information space. Not only the physical journey, but the digital journey,” he said.
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