The Hon. Edmund Bartlett departed for Germany on Sunday to be a key participant in the much-anticipated Mgbakọ ITB Berlin, now underway in Germany.
Having been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, this is the first face-to-face staging of the world’s biggest travel convention since the onset of COVID-19 and is planned to showcase decisive trends and provide unlimited opportunities for the travel business.
The Berlin Convention, which runs from March 7-9, is the leading travel industry think tank, attracting tourism professionals, key decision makers, the major buyers and sellers in the international travel trade. “As the global tourism sector continues to rebound from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic we are pleased to be able to attend ITB Berlin in person, and we will use this opportunity to further promote Destination Jamaica, strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones as we seek to foster continued growth in the tourism sector,” Minister Bartlett said.
The Minister’s participation will see him as the keynote speaker and panelist on the topic “New Narratives for Work in Travel.”
One of the highlights of Minister Bartlett’s participation sees him also giving the keynote address at an event celebrating Global Tourism Resilience Day following last month’s approval by the United Nations for the day to be observed each year. This after Jamaica’s efforts to bolster resilience in global tourism by proposing the official designation of February 17th as Global Tourism Resilience Day annually yielded great success.
Mr. Bartlett’s itinerary also includes a number of high-level meetings on subject areas such as the: “Global Employment Initiative,” new flights and other tourism developments. He will also participate in several media activities and programs as well as a bilateral meeting with Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb.
Additionally, Mr. Bartlett will be a special guest at the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) International Travel Awards. At the ITB Convention in 2019, Jamaica was presented with PATWA’s award for destination of the year. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that have excelled and/or are involved in the promotion of tourism from different sectors of the travel trade and service providers related directly or indirectly to the industry.
Before returning home on Saturday, March 11, the Minister will also meet with members of the Jamaican Community at the Embassy of Jamaica in Berlin.
