Jamaica Wins Destination Resilience Award For UNWTO Sustainable Goals
The COVID-19 pandemic hit tourism in many popular destinations, including the Caribbean island of Jamaica. For around two years, few visitors headed to the popular island, detrimentally affecting its tourism income. However, the good news is that The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has awarded Jamaica with the Destination Resilience Award for its recovery efforts in the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as initiatives focused on tourism resilience.
Jamaica honored with Destination Resilience Award
As reported by The Gleaner, The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) recently announced that it has awarded the Destination Resilience Award to Jamaica, due to its recovery efforts in the pandemic. The Caribbean island received the award for addressing 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Moreover, Jamaica was also honored for its subscription to a collaborative and partnership-focused approach.
CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig spoke about the award, saying:
It is a pleasure to recognize my home country with this destination resilience award as it validates the countless hours and effort that went into the recovery through our public and private sector partners to ensure the survival of tourism.
COVID-19 recovery task force in Jamaica
When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Jamaica’s tourism ministry put together a recovery task force. This was done to help the island nation to reopen to international travelers in June 2020 and has kept the borders open ever since.
Meanwhile, Edmund Bartlett, Jamaican Minister of Tourism, accepted the Destination Resilience Award on behalf of Jamaica. He went on to say that the health and safety protocols implemented on the island to mitigate the spread of the virus led to the long-term recovery of tourism.
“This award is for my entire tourism team and all our private and public sector partners who immediately saw the need to keep the lifeblood of the country open,” Bartlett said, adding, “From the minds and hard work of the team, Jamaica was first out of the blocks on the road to recovery.”
According to Donovan White, the Director of Tourism, “This award highlights the importance of partnerships in a crisis. We’re truly grateful and deeply honored to receive this distinction.”
Open to international travelers
In April 2023, it was said that Jamaica had experienced the best winter season in history. Moreover, the Caribbean island is looking forward to an ongoing travel boom in the foreseeable future.
According to Bartlett at the opening of Jamaica’s Sectoral Debate in Parliament, the Caribbean destination recorded an amazing 1.18 million visitors between January and March 2023. In fact, these early 2023 visitor levels represent an increase of 94.4 percent compared with the same period in 2022.
What does Jamaica have to offer?
Jamaica offers incredible landscapes of rainforests, mountains and reef-lined, idyllic beaches. The island is known for its all-inclusive resorts, set around Montego Bay. However, it is also renowned for that city’s British-colonial architecture. Meanwhile, Negril is famous for its diving and snorkeling sites in crystal-clear water.
Moreover, Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music. In fact, a Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the reggae singer, can be visited in the island’s capital, Kingston.