KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 25, 2017: The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has announced their endorsement of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) global conference to be held in Jamaica in November.

Adam Goldstein, who is the FCCA’s Executive Committee Chairman and current President and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, gave the endorsement to Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, during a private meeting between Presidents and CEOs of FCCA member lines and Ministers of Tourism, on October 25 in Merida, Mexico.

During the meeting, the group also discussed strategies to drive year-round traffic to the region, the creation of more employment opportunities and the development of strategic partnerships.

Minister Bartlett lauded the endorsement, which, he noted, strengthens the expected impact the conference will have on the development of tourism industries across the globe.

“This event will perhaps be the single most important conference in our country’s history. This endorsement by FCCA strengthens our efforts to coordinate an international road map which will foster collaborative relationships for more inclusive economic and social development of countries across the world via tourism,” said Minister Bartlett.

He also received support for the staging of the conference from Grenada’s Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Yolande Bain-Horsford, who is expected to participate in the conference.

In his capacity as chairman of the newly formed Caribbean Tourism Recovery Group Secretariat (CTRGS) and coordinator of the ‘UNWTO Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean, the Minister used the opportunity to share his intentions to create a tourism rehabilitation plan for Caribbean islands devastated by recent hurricanes at the upcoming conference.

“Caribbean states are very dependent on tourism to sustain their economies. So with the assistance of the UNWTO, CHTA, CTO and WTTC as well as Ministers of the region we are working on creating a strategy to strengthen the sector’s resilience to the effects of climate change and natural disasters, thus making it more sustainable. We will unveil this plan of action during our upcoming UNWTO global conference in Montego Bay in November,” he explained.

The UNWTO, Government of Jamaica, World Bank Group and Inter-American Development Bank Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’ will be held November 27-29 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, and is expected to attract hundreds of international and local participants.

The event will bring together world leaders from the tourism industry along with governments, donors, and international development and finance organisations to design and coordinate an international road map and foster collaborative relationships for inclusive economic and social development via tourism.

Minister Bartlett is currently in Mexico with the newly-appointed Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations Ltd, Joy Roberts, participating in the FCCA Cruise Conference and Tradeshow. They are expected to return to the island on October 26, 2017.