EDITORIAL - Recovery efforts key

THE Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), as part of its programme to help the region’s tourism sector rise to the challenges posed by COVID-19, has noted that it is teaming up with the world’s leading international tourism agency and other influential regional and international organisations for a critical recovery event for the industry.

The CTO has noted that the United Nations’ specialised agency for tourism, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), global market research firm Euromonitor International, independent charity Travel Foundation, and the University of the West Indies are all collaborating with the CTO, in presenting the Caribbean Tourism Recovery Forum later in October.

The virtual event will focus on planning and management of the recovery process for the Caribbean. It is said that a range of areas will be covered, including the economic impact of COVID-19, travel sentiment and forecast, considerations around a vaccine, best practices for recovery and a model for sustainable tourism post-COVID.

 

Recovery strategy

Indeed, in Barbados and across the region, governments are planning at the national level their recovery strategy for the tourism sector, which has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. There are a number of views about how they should go about it as well.

Some, like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), point to countries lifting travel restrictions and working with businesses to access liquidity supports, apply new health protocols for safe travel, and working to diversify their markets.

Also, restoring traveller confidence and stimulating demand with new safe and clean labels for the sector, information apps for visitors and domestic tourism promotion campaigns, as well as preparing comprehensive tourism recovery plans to rebuild destinations, encourage innovation and investment, and rethink the tourism sector.

 

More needs to be done

The OECD further points out that these actions are essential, but to reopen the tourism economy successfully and get businesses up and running, more needs to be done in a co-ordinated way as tourism services are very interdependent. That agency suggests that travel and tourism industry and governments should continue to reinforce their co-ordination mechanisms to accompany the businesses, notably the smallest ones, and the workers.

Maybe it’s time we here in Barbados have some wider discussion on it. But for now, we can stay tuned to the developments to come from a regional perspective, from which we may be able to draw upon, to also inform any national move.

In the meantime, we should be focusing on diversifying our product offerings as a country and seeing how we can build out other sectors beside tourism, given all that has happened.

We cannot rely solely on tourism as our main money earner forever. That is now clearer than ever.

Barbados Advocate

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