Jamaica in Berlin warned of a new era of crises: tourism must be more resilient, faster, and more technologically prepared
Speaking at the world’s leading travel trade fair, ITB Berlin, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said that global tourism is no longer facing isolated disruptions, but simultaneous and interconnected crises shaking entire destinations, supply chains, and labour markets. In such an environment, he warned, the traditional model of recovery after a shock is no longer sufficient. Instead, governments, companies, and international institutions should build a sector that does not react only when a problem erupts, but proactively develops resilience, diversifies risks, and uses innovation to adapt more quickly to the new reality.
Bartlett appeared in Berlin at a moment when ITB was being held in its anniversary 60th edition, from 3 to 5 March 2026, and when thousands of representatives of the tourism industry were once again gathering in the German capital, from ministers and national tourism organisations to hoteliers, airlines, and technology companies. His message was not limited only to Jamaica or the Caribbean. On the contrary, it was directed at the entire international tourism market, which even after recovering from the pandemic years remains exposed to a combination of geopolitical tensions, climate extremes, cyber threats, security challenges, disinformation, and economic instability.
What “poly-crisis” means and why tourism is among the most exposed sectors
The term “poly-crisis”, which is being used increasingly often in international political and economic debates, describes a situation in which several crises act simultaneously, overlap, and mutually amplify their consequences. For tourism, this means that one problem rarely remains isolated. War or geopolitical tension affects not only travellers’ sense of safety, but also energy prices, flight routes, insurance premiums, and operating costs. Extreme weather events affect not only infrastructure, but also a destination’s reputation, accommodation availability, water supply, and the working conditions of local communities. A digital threat or a wave of disinformation can further undermine guests’ trust, and trust, as Bartlett has repeatedly stressed in his earlier appearances, is one of the fundamental currencies of tourism demand.
That is precisely why the Jamaican minister warned in Berlin that tourism must be viewed as an economic sector that depends on a wide range of external factors, from public health and transport connectivity to climate policy and international security. Such an analysis is especially important for island economies and those strongly oriented toward tourism, but also for large European and Asian destinations that rely on a stable inflow of international guests. Tourism is at once one of the world’s largest employers and one of the activities that feels shock most quickly when confidence falls. When people postpone travel, the consequences spill over almost immediately to hotels, restaurants, carriers, guides, cultural institutions, small private accommodation providers, and numerous related services.
From “returning to the old normal” to the idea that we must move forward
The central thread of Bartlett’s appearance was the claim that tourism must no longer aim only to return to the state before a crisis. In his view, that approach has become too slow and too narrow for a world in which disruptions are repeated and spill over from one system into another. Instead of “bounce back”, that is, returning to the old normal, he advocates “bounce forward” – a model in which crisis becomes a trigger for system modernisation, technological advancement, and different risk management.
In recent years, such an approach has also been promoted ever more strongly by the global network of institutions linked to the concept of tourism resilience, among which Jamaica has a notable role. Edmund Bartlett is one of the most prominent advocates of the idea that resilience cannot be merely a crisis plan stored in a drawer, but a constant practice that includes workforce education, financial mechanisms for rapid response, better-quality data, digital tools, and stronger cooperation between the public and private sectors. Translated into the language of the market, this means that tourist destinations cannot rely only on the beauty of the coast, the cultural offer, or the quality of accommodation, but also on the ability to maintain business continuity when an external blow occurs.
ITB Berlin as a stage for a new tourism agenda
The place from which Bartlett sent this message was not chosen by chance. ITB Berlin has for decades been one of the most important global forums for the tourism industry, and this year’s 60th edition placed additional emphasis on innovation, market changes, and strategic thinking about the future of travel. The fair gathers almost 6,000 exhibitors from more than 160 countries, while the ITB Berlin Convention is held in parallel, conceived as a space for discussing the trends that will shape the sector in the years to come.
It is precisely in such an environment that Bartlett’s speech gains broader meaning. His intervention cannot be read only as a diplomatic appearance by a minister promoting his own country, but as a message to an industry that is still recovering from a series of successive blows. Tourism figures globally have indeed continued to grow, but official UN Tourism data show that growth is accompanied by a number of serious risks, including high travel prices and a demanding geopolitical environment. In other words, growth exists, but it is not guaranteed, and its sustainability increasingly depends on the quality of crisis management.
Innovation is not an addition, but a prerequisite for survival
One of the strongest emphases in Bartlett’s address concerned innovation. In the tourism industry, that term is often simplistically linked to apps, online bookings, and marketing campaigns, but the message from Berlin goes beyond that. Innovation in tourism, according to this view, means the ability of destinations to develop new products, make better use of data, strengthen digital security, adapt to climate change, and at the same time create more resilient local communities that will not depend only on one type of guest or one source market.
For Jamaica, as for many other tourism countries, this implies investment in connectivity, human resources, and entrepreneurship. In other recent appearances as well, the Minister of Tourism has stressed that resilience must be built through worker education, technological transformation, and better inclusion of the local economy in the tourism value chain. This reduces a destination’s vulnerability to external shocks, but at the same time also increases the quality of the tourism product. If workers are better trained, if local suppliers have a more stable place in the system, and if decisions are based on reliable data, a destination is more competitive both when circumstances are favourable and when they become highly unstable.
Bartlett’s emphasis on entrepreneurship is also important because it suggests that resilience does not come only from above, from government policies, but also from below, through a network of small and medium-sized enterprises that can react quickly, develop niche products, and adapt their offer to new traveller habits. In a sector that is constantly changing, from sustainable and experiential travel to greater expectations regarding safety and flexibility, precisely such adaptability becomes one of the key market advantages.
Jamaica wants to remain a global voice of resilience
Bartlett’s message from Berlin fits into a broader strategy through which Jamaica has in recent years sought to position itself not only as an attractive Caribbean destination, but also as one of the international centres of discussion on tourism resilience. The country was among the initiators of the initiatives that led to the establishment of Global Tourism Resilience Day, marked every year on 17 February, and in recent months the Minister of Tourism has once again highlighted the need for concrete instruments such as a tourism resilience fund and a stronger global institutional response to increasingly frequent disruptions.
That ambition is not merely symbolic. Jamaica also bases its argument on the fact that it is an economy in which tourism has exceptionally great importance for revenue, employment, and foreign exchange inflow. According to data from the Jamaica Tourist Board, the country achieved a record 4.3 million visitors and 4.3 billion US dollars in tourism revenue in 2024, while in 2025 new growth targets and further expansion of connectivity with world markets were set. In the autumn of last year, the authorities there also published projections according to which Jamaica could reach a total of 4.5 million arrivals by the end of 2025, including 3.1 million stayover guests and 1.4 million cruise passengers.
That is precisely why what Bartlett says about tourism’s vulnerability also has a very practical dimension. For a country like Jamaica, a disruption in air traffic, a hurricane, rising prices, or a security incident represent not only a crisis event in the travel sector, but a problem that spills over into broader economic stability, employment, and public revenue. From that perspective, resilience is not an abstract term but a matter of national economic strategy.
Global tourism is growing, but with warnings
Bartlett’s appeal comes at a time when international tourism at the global level continues to grow, but without complete certainty that this growth will remain linear. According to the latest UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals in the first nine months of 2025 increased by five percent compared with the same period a year earlier, with the world recording more than 1.1 billion international trips. At the same time, the same institution warned that high travel prices and a demanding geopolitical environment remain important downside risks for further development.
Such data explain well why in Berlin people are talking less and less only about destination marketing, and more and more about system resilience. Travellers are willing to travel, but the market is sensitive to price changes, security assessments, and the overall economic climate. A few simultaneous blows are enough – for example, disruption of air routes, an extreme weather event, and a decline in consumer optimism – for a destination to feel serious pressure. That is precisely the logic of the “poly-crisis” framework that Bartlett warned about: what is decisive is not only the strength of an individual shock, but their sum and the way they reinforce one another.
Why cooperation is crucial and who must take part
Another important dimension of Bartlett’s appearance is the insistence on cooperation. Crises affecting tourism can no longer be effectively resolved within the boundaries of one ministry or one company. If the problem is climate-related, better urban planning and infrastructure responses are needed. If it is a cyber threat, the tourism sector must work with technology experts and regulators. If the problem is disinformation and the perception of insecurity, then coordination between governments, destination organisations, the media, and the private sector is crucial.
Such an approach is becoming increasingly relevant for Europe and the Caribbean, but also for the rest of the world. Global tourism has become so interconnected that every more serious crisis is also a test of international coordination. In that sense, speeches like Bartlett’s at ITB Berlin serve as a reminder that resilience cannot be built only locally. International standards, exchange of experience, better use of data, and readiness to react quickly and jointly in times of crisis are also needed.
Message to the market: resilience is becoming part of competitiveness
For the business community that came to Berlin looking for partners, new markets, and trends, Bartlett’s message also has a very concrete market implication. Destinations that show they can maintain safety, service continuity, quality communication, and flexibility in times of crisis will have an advantage over those that rely exclusively on image or historical popularity. Resilience, in other words, is turning into an element of competitiveness.
This also applies to investors, airlines, tour operators, and hotel groups, which in planning increasingly look at regulatory stability, infrastructure resilience, the quality of risk management, and the availability of qualified labour. Countries that manage to combine destination attractiveness with a credible crisis-management system will find it easier to retain market confidence. In that sense, Bartlett’s call for innovation, entrepreneurship, and cooperation is not just a political phrase, but a summary of the business logic of a sector that has learned that reputation and revenue can change almost overnight.
Speaking from Berlin, the Jamaican minister sent a message that resonates far beyond the Caribbean region: tourism remains a powerful engine of growth, employment, and international connectivity, but only on condition that it adapts to an era of permanent instability. In a world in which it is no longer unusual for health risks, climate shocks, geopolitical tensions, and digital threats to appear simultaneously, the sector can no longer rely on improvisation. Anyone who wants to remain competitive will have to invest in resilience just as seriously as in promotion and sales.
Sources:- - ITB Berlin – official information on the holding of ITB Berlin 2026, the dates, and the convention programme (link)
- - UN Tourism – World Tourism Barometer with data on international tourist arrival trends and warnings about risks to the sector (link)
- - UN Tourism – news on the growth of international tourist arrivals in the first nine months of 2025 and the assessment of global trends (link)
- - Jamaica Tourist Board – announcement on tourism revenue and Jamaica’s record number of visitors in 2024 (link)
- - Ministry of Tourism Jamaica – announcement on transport connectivity and arrival projections for 2025 (link)
- - Jamaica Tourist Board – report from the Global Tourism Resilience Day 2026 conference and Edmund Bartlett’s views on persistent, intertwined crises in tourism (link)
- - Jamaica Tourist Board – announcement on the concept of resilience as the new “currency” of tourism and the announced resilience policies (link)
- - Breaking Travel News – report on Bartlett’s appearance on the “poly-crisis” panel at ITB Berlin and the emphasis on innovation, resilience, and connectivity (link)
Find accommodation nearby
Creation time: 4 hours ago