The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA) unveiled a structured, forward-looking tourism resilience framework at the Global Tourism Resilience Day Forum in Nairobi, positioning the Caribbean as a region building institutional, digital and collaborative systems to recover faster and compete more effectively after crises.
Caribbean Leadership on Tourism Resilience
At the Nairobi forum, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association joined its public-sector partner, Caribbean Tourism Organization, to outline how the region has evolved from reactive crisis response to structured resilience planning.
CHTA President Sanovnik Destang and Immediate Past President Nicola Madden-Greig framed resilience as:
- Institutional rather than ad hoc
- Collaborative across public and private sectors
- Increasingly dependent on digital infrastructure
The message aligned with remarks from Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism and founder of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, who described resilience as “the new currency of tourism.”
Three Pillars of Modern Tourism Resilience
Destang outlined a three-pillar model shaping Caribbean tourism strategy:
1. Physical Infrastructure
Resilient airport systems, utilities, and hospitality assets designed to withstand climate and health shocks.
2. Digital Infrastructure
Cloud-based systems, satellite connectivity, digital dashboards and real-time communication tools that support business continuity.
3. Human Resilience
Training, health protocols and crisis coordination embedded across tourism institutions.
According to Caribbean Tourism & Hotel Association, digital maturity now determines:
- Speed of reopening
- Recovery of demand
- Protection of brand confidence
- Inclusiveness of SME participation
Digital systems are positioned not as marketing tools, but as core operational infrastructure.
A 25-Year Foundation of Crisis Coordination
Madden-Greig emphasised that the Caribbean’s tourism resilience framework is rooted in more than two decades of regional coordination.
For over 25 years, CHTA and CTO have worked with national tourism associations to develop:
- Crisis management protocols
- Health safety readiness frameworks
- Industry-wide recovery training
During COVID-19, joint initiatives included:
- Coordinated regional health protocols
- Health safety certification programmes
- Training of more than 10,000 tourism supervisors and managers
- Targeted airlift protection strategies
These measures contributed to a comparatively rapid tourism rebound across several Caribbean destinations.
Hurricane Melissa: A Test of Digital and Institutional Capacity
Hurricane Melissa presented a different stress test, particularly for Jamaica, where tourism represents a significant share of GDP.
The response included:
- Immediate activation of a Tourism Recovery Task Force
- Public-private coordination across agencies and industry
- A real-time digital dashboard tracking hotel, airport and attraction status
- Satellite connectivity to maintain bookings and payments
The approach demonstrated how integrated digital infrastructure can shorten recovery timelines and maintain international travel trade confidence.
AI as an Operational Accelerator
Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association also highlighted its Technology Task Force and Version 2.0 of its regional AI Guide.
Applications already being deployed across Caribbean tourism businesses include:
- AI-driven guest engagement
- Predictive maintenance systems
- Revenue optimisation tools
- Energy management solutions
The organisation positioned artificial intelligence as an efficiency and competitiveness enhancer rather than a substitute for Caribbean hospitality.
Regional Integration and Supply Chain Resilience
Speakers stressed that resilience must extend beyond hotels into wider economic systems.
One example cited was Jamaica’s Agri-Linkages Exchange (ALEX), a digital platform connecting hotels directly with farmers to strengthen local sourcing.
Research presented by the CARICOM Private Sector Organization suggests that increased intra-Caribbean sourcing could generate an estimated US$1.3 billion in business savings while reducing exposure to external supply chain disruptions.
Why It Matters
For global tourism stakeholders, the Caribbean model reflects a shift in how destinations define competitiveness.
Key industry implications:
- Resilience is becoming a measurable investment category
- Digital infrastructure now underpins crisis recovery speed
- Public-private coordination is central to destination credibility
- AI adoption is being structured through governance frameworks
- Regional supply chain integration reduces systemic risk
As climate volatility, health events and geopolitical disruptions persist, destinations that institutionalise resilience may gain long-term competitive advantage.
At a Glance
- Organisation: Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA)
- Event: Global Tourism Resilience Day Forum, Nairobi
- Core Message: Resilience is institutional, digital and collaborative
- Model: Physical, digital and human resilience pillars
- Technology Focus: AI adoption and digital infrastructure
- Economic Strategy: Regional supply chain integration
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