Patterson: Tourism a pillar for accelerated development
Published:Friday | February 17, 2023 | 1:11 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has said that given tourism’s magnetic linkage to other industries, the sector has now become a pillar on which sustainable growth and accelerated development must depend.
Patterson, a former tourism minister, said with the diminution of export earnings from sugar, bananas, and rice for the Caribbean, and cocoa, beef, peanuts, and minerals in significant sections of Africa, tourism has now become the cornerstone on which many countries build their economies.
“The contribution of tourism to African GDP (gross domestic product) was measured at US$168 billion in 2019, equivalent to 7.1 per cent of the total GDP. Tourism also generated close to 25 million jobs while visitor expenditures generated US$61.3 billion, or 10.4 per cent of total exports. In the Caribbean, the industry generated US$61.5 billion in 2019, representing 13.9 per cent of the region’s GDP,” Patterson said.
With tourism being vulnerable to natural disasters, Patterson said severe shocks, such as the global impact of the coronavirus, are undoubtedly a wake-up call for all nations reliant on tourism to build a new and different future.
“Without a doubt, the COVID pandemic nearly decimated the industry with massive reduction in global travel. While there has been remarkable recovery in 2022, especially in the Caribbean region, which is recording increases over 2019, … both Africa and the Caribbean nations have been faced with what can be termed existential crises in the last decade,” Patterson said.
He said that in addition to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has had serious effects on food production and distribution, the threat of global warming and climate change, heat waves, floods, wild fires, storms, and sargassum waste have adversely impacted everyone.
“We have to be on the front line of the battle against the twin threat of global warming and climate change and their associated environmental repercussions – the moreso where the industry is predominantly nature-based and revolves around marine life, wild-life artefacts, natural parks, and landscapes,” he said.
“Tourism depends on environmental sustainability, and the sector must, therefore, be a formidable protector, rather than a destructive force, to reverse the current pace of global warming, which would endanger the hospitality trade,” Patterson added.
Patterson is the statesman-in-residence at the P. J. Patterson Institute for Africa Caribbean Advocacy, which was established nearly three years ago to build bridges between the people of Africa, the Caribbean and the African diaspora.
To achieve this, they focus on mobilising the diaspora, Africa, and the Caribbean in the fields of trade, investment, science, sports, culture, and entertainment.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who has been instrumental in organising the Global Tourism Resilience Conference, said crucial steps must be made towards achieving these important objectives as the foundation is laid for sustained growth in the tourism sector.
The success of the post-COVID-19 era lies in cooperation between tourism-dependent countries in the Caribbean and nations in Africa.
“When we speak of the tourism industry, it must be understood that our focus extends beyond welcoming travellers to enjoy our cultural offerings in cuisine, music, the arts and historical heritage. Attracting foreign-direct investment is another crucial element of our tourism thrust, and African investors, including those in the diaspora, have wealth that we can tap into,” Bartlett said.
According to Bartlett, one of the lessons that COVID-19 has taught the world is that as vulnerable as tourism is to crises, it is one of the most reliable industries in terms of ability to quickly bounce back.
“We just have to do everything to ensure its sustainability,” he said.
Additionally, coming out of the pandemic, Bartlett said there was now a greater thrust to woo visitors by tourism-dependent countries and other nations that previously did not see tourism as being that important to their economic well-being.
“This compels destinations such as us in the Caribbean to up the ante and reach out to travellers with a strong message of safety, alongside the great product that we offer them,” Bartlett said.
Patterson and Barlett were speakers attending the three-day Global Tourism Resilience Conference at the University of the West Indies Regional Headquarters in St Andrew. The conference ends today.