Jamaica tourism minister Edmund Bartlett named co-chair of World Economic Forum Tourism Day 2026
Key Points(5)
- Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has been appointed co-chair of World Economic Forum Tourism Day 2026, placing the country and its Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) in a leading role in international discussions on the future of the travel industry.
- Tourism Day brings together heads of state, business executives and tourism leaders to discuss priorities and challenges facing the global travel and hospitality sector.
- Bartlett’s appointment comes as Jamaica continues to promote tourism resilience internationally through the GTRCMC, which he founded and co-chairs.
- Headquartered in Jamaica, the center focuses on research, training and crisis management aimed at helping tourism-dependent economies prepare for and recover from disruptions.
- It works with more than 30 countries and institutions, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has been appointed co-chair of World Economic Forum Tourism Day 2026, placing the country and its Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) in a leading role in international discussions on the future of the travel industry.
Tourism Day brings together heads of state, business executives and tourism leaders to discuss priorities and challenges facing the global travel and hospitality sector.
Bartlett’s appointment comes as Jamaica continues to promote tourism resilience internationally through the GTRCMC, which he founded and co-chairs.
Headquartered in Jamaica, the center focuses on research, training and crisis management aimed at helping tourism-dependent economies prepare for and recover from disruptions. It works with more than 30 countries and institutions, according to the Ministry of Tourism.
“I am deeply honored to serve as co-chair of World Economic Forum Tourism Day. Tourism is no longer just a leisure sector — it is economic infrastructure, cultural infrastructure, and resilience infrastructure for nations everywhere,” Bartlett said.
“At a time of climate shocks, geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change, our industry must move from simply managing crises to building systems that prevent them and help communities thrive in their aftermath,” he added.
As co-chair, Bartlett is expected to focus on three priorities: investing in people to drive innovation and promote culture, strengthening the use of data for real-time global risk intelligence, and increasing international cooperation so destinations have greater support when crises occur.
“Jamaica and the GTRCMC stand ready to work with the World Economic Forum and partners across the globe to advance resilient, inclusive and innovative tourism for people and planet,” Bartlett said.
The appointment also gives Jamaica an opportunity to bring lessons from the Caribbean’s experience responding to hurricanes, the COVID-19 pandemic and other economic and tourism disruptions into broader global policy discussions.
Through his co-chairmanship, Bartlett will help shape discussions involving policymakers, investors and tourism executives on strengthening the sector’s ability to withstand future crises.
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