Former Jamaican Tourism Ministers Urges Regional Tourism to Keep Updating Technology
Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett has challenged the regional tourism sector to constantly update its methodologies, in order to maintain access and availability.
Bartlett said that while the impact of tourism, as an agent of social transformation and poverty alleviation, is highly recognized, globally, and an increasing number of economies are diversifying into the industry and reaping great rewards, this growth will not be sustainable without stakeholders constantly refreshing, reinventing, reinvigorating and replenishing the product.
"Today's rich mix of tourism products and experience across the globe are created with the objective of providing access and availability to all, and our challenge is to constantly improve the methodologies to achieve it," Bartlett said.
He was speaking at the 57th meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Regional Commission for the Americas and International Forum on Sustainability in Cartagena, Colombia, recently.
Barlett, Jamaica's former minister of tourism and current opposition spokesman on foreign affairs and foreign trade, addressed the conference as chairman of the product and brand promotion company for hotels and attractions, Caribbean Tourism Investment Company Limited (CTICO), of which he is chairman and was a guest speaker at the conference.
He was accompanied by Ron McKay, vice-president of AMCHAM Jamaica and chief executive officer of ADS Global and CTICO, who also addressed the conference, on the importance of public and private partnerships (PPP) in achieving and developing specialized tourism products.
Bartlett advised the meeting that technology and innovation is necessary for sustainable tourism, and must include new ways of connecting with visitors, in an efficient, smarter and more cost effective way.
He said that the continued development of new Internet applications will make destinations more accessible and visitor experiences more satisfactory.
According to Bartlett, good destination management will also create greater confidence in the integrity of the experiences being marketed, and build location image and strong product branding. However, he cautioned that this requires an alliance between the public and private sectors, to create a buy-in of key protocols and facilitate the services and products hotels need to become more sustainable.
He added that the objective of being customer friendly and service appropriate is critical, but most important was: knowledge of customers' perception; what they are saying about the product; and who they are talking to about the product.
"This knowledge gives you the power to respond, to be proactive and to change perceptions and drive new conversations in your interest," he told the meeting.
The forum was organized jointly by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia and the UNWTO, jointly. It was aimed at providing a space for the technical discussion on advances in the fields of innovation and sustainability in the tourism sector, with emphasis on Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Among the topics discussed were: Tourism in the green economy; New trends: green markets and green investments; Sustainable technologies applicable to the accommodation sector; Sustainable tourism observatories; Innovation and sustainability in community-based tourism; and Innovation in the teaching of sustainable tourism.
Source: The Jamaica Observer
