Eliana Willis

As the tourism sector rebounds strongly from the near shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is calling on the region’s “bread and butter” industry to ramp up efforts to be adequately staffed to meet the impending surge of arrivals and continued growth.
Drawing attention to a recent statement from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) which predicts “a massive increase in global international inbound travel,” CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig noted that the Caribbean’s tourism sector must do more to source and train its own people to meet the industry’s growing labor needs.
“The recent statement from WTTC and CHTA knowledge partner ForwardKeys points to strong demand in the months ahead for travel to ‘sun and sea’ destinations such as the Caribbean and Latin America, which are leading international inbound bookings,” said Madden-Greig, who added that “it is imperative for our members to be diligent in staffing their properties and enterprises with trained, qualified hospitality professionals.”
She also pointed to the need to re-energize the partnerships between schools, training institutions and the tourism industry put in place by many Caribbean jurisdictions in the past which played a critical role in creating employment and career opportunities for thousands of residents throughout the region.
WTTC’s latest tourism Economic Impact Report indicates that more than 126 million travel and tourism jobs will be created over the next decade. With one in every three new jobs created being in the travel and tourism space, opportunities will abound for job seekers and businesses seeking to fill those positions.ADVERTISEMENTThe CHTA leader acknowledged there remain some challenges within the region around the labor supply in the market, but she also believes the association’s networking opportunities, the on-the-ground public-private partnerships, and its Caribbean Tourism Job Bank can be useful tools in bridging the gap between supply and demand.
“Our tourism job bank is an excellent, free resource for both employers and job seekers,” stated Madden-Greig, who encouraged Caribbean residents in search of tourism-related positions to upload their resumes and credentials to the site where they can be reviewed by prospective employers looking for qualified applicants.
CHTA members, who receive free basic postings as part of their membership benefits, are also encouraged to post open positions to the Caribbean Tourism Job Bank.
Madden-Greig urged all National Hotel and Tourism Associations to continue partnering with local institutions to fast-track the training of prospective hospitality workers so they can take advantage of the increasing number of excellent career paths the industry offers.
“As an industry, we need to ensure that all stakeholders understand the tremendous economic benefits that can accrue from engagement with the hospitality sector. CHTA and our Tourism Job Bank can help, but more needs to be done to counter the misinformation that has created doubts about the stability and future of the industry that surfaced as a result of the pandemic,” she said.
CHTA continues to encourage young people in the region who are exploring career paths to strongly consider the tourism and hospitality industry as an option that allows one to develop highly competitive skills and affords opportunity to work throughout the region.
“The Caribbean tourism industry presents a world of possibilities for professional growth and development,” said Madden-Greig, noting that there are more than 1,000 job and career paths, with over one in five opportunities at the supervisory, management, or ownership levels.

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The World Travel & Tourism Council’s latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) reveals Europe’s travel and tourism sector is expected to create up to eight million new jobs within the next decade.
The forecast from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global travel and tourism private sector, also shows the sector will be a driving force behind
Europe’s economic recovery, following more than two years of suffering.
Over the next 10 years and with an average annual growth rate of 3.3%, the travel and tourism sector is expected to grow at twice the rate of the overall economy, which is forecasted to expand by just 1.5% annually.
The global tourism body’s latest report also reveals Europe’s travel and tourism’s GDP is forecast to grow by 31.4% to €1.73 trillion (US$ 1.9 trillion).ADVERTISEMENTJulia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “Europe’s travel and tourism sector is in a strong recovery. It looks set to create up to eight million new jobs over the next 10 years.
“In terms of contribution to Europe’s economy and jobs, the sector will almost reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year as the sector’s recovery continues its momentum.
“The recovery in 2021 was slower than expected due to the impact of the Omicron and the uncoordinated response by European governments around border closures which failed to stop the spread of the virus, but did cause real and lasting damage to economies and livelihoods.”
WTTC’s EIR data for 2021 shows across Europe there was a 4.7% increase in the number of travel and tourism sector jobs accounting for just over 9% of all jobs, in marked contrast to the 12.5% fall the previous year.
The fastest growing region last year, it also saw the sector claw back its contribution to GDP with a 28% rise to account for 6.2% of Europe’s economy to €1.3 trillion (U.S.$1.45 trillion) up from 5.2% contribution (just over €1 trillion or U.S.$1.13 trillion in 2020).
Europe’s bounce back was in part driven by significant growth in key destination markets such as Greece, which saw a year-on-year growth of 75%, Turkey (61%), and Italy (59%). Greek National Tourism Organisation was named World’s Leading Tourist Board by World Travel Awards.
According to the latest data, more than 1.7 billion certificates have been issued by member states. This successful roll out has provided a much-needed boost to economies and saved millions of jobs.
However, in several other European countries, there was a much slower than expected recovery due to numerous failed attempts by governments to clamp down on the transmission of the Omicron variant, causing the regional economic recovery to falter.
The leaders of European travel are to meet for World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2022 at the Hilton Galatzo, Mallorca, Spain.

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The World Travel & Tourism Council’s latest Economic Impact Report (EIR) reveals the travel and tourism sector in the Middle East is expected to create nearly 3.6 million new jobs over the next decade.
The forecast from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which shows an average of 360,000 new jobs every year, also reveals the sector will lead the region’s economic recovery, with its average annual growth set to outpace the overall economy for the next 10 years.
According to the report,  travel and tourism’s GDP is forecasted to grow at an average rate of 7.7% annually between 2022-2032, three times the 2.5% growth rate for region’s overall economy, to reach nearly US$ 540 billion (10.1% of the total economy).
The sector’s contribution to GDP is expected to grow more than 36% to over US$ 256 billion by the end of 2022, amounting to 6.5% of the total economic GDP, while employment in the sector is set to grow by 8.7% this year to reach over six million jobs.
The global tourism body’s annual report also shows further optimism for the region’s travel and tourism GDP, which could almost reach pre-pandemic levels by 2023 – just 2.5% below 2019 levels.ADVERTISEMENTJulia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “After a very difficult couple of years, the future is looking brighter with travel and tourism expected to create 3.6 million new jobs across the Middle East over the next decade.
“Looking to this year and the next, the outlook is more positive with both GDP and employment set to almost reach pre-pandemic levels.
“The recovery of the sector in the Middle East last year was certainly slower than expected, due in part to the impact of the Omicron variant.”
Before the pandemic, the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to GDP was 8.4% (U.S.$323.6 billion) in 2019, falling to just 4.5% (U.S.$162.6 billion) in 2020, which represented a staggering 49.8% loss.
The sector also supported 6.9 million jobs across the region in 2019.
WTTC’s latest EIR report also reveals that 2021 saw the beginning of the recovery for the region’s travel and tourism sector.
Last year, its contribution to GDP climbed 15.9% year on year, to reach US$188.5 billion.
The sector also saw a recovery of more than 390,000 travel and tourism jobs, representing a positive 7.6% rise to reach 5.6 million.
The sector’s contribution to the economy and employment could have been higher if it weren’t for the impact of the Omicron variant, which led to the recovery faltering around the world, with many countries reinstating severe travel restrictions.
Since the start of the pandemic, governments across the Middle East have shown total commitment to Travel & Tourism.
Saudi Arabia in particular, has shown great leadership throughout the crisis, pushing for greater regional and global coordination, and making a major investment in travel and tourism not only in the country but around the world. The global tourism body believes this support and commitment will speed up the recovery of a sector which is critical to economies and livelihoods around the world.

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The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Save the Children Dominican Republic have launched a new challenge to promote the development of educational ideas and experiences through the tourism sector in Central America and the Caribbean.
The challenge seeks innovative and technological proposals in ‘Early Stage’ development that offer new educational opportunities through the tourism sector. The challenge has two categories:
New technologies: People or startups that promote the use of technology to provide solutions to the tourism and education sector.
Local impact: People or startups that promote transformation and social improvement, and that belong to the tourism and education sector.
According to Secretary General of the World Tourism Organisation, Zurab Pololikashvili, “tourism is a leading provider of opportunities for young people throughout Central America and the Caribbean, and innovation and new technologies can help us reach more young people, allowing them to benefit as tourism returns to the region.”
“For our organization, the launch of this challenge represents a unique opportunity to capitalize on the potential of the tourism sector in our country and the region, thus generating innovation in favor of childhood education with a high social impact,” says Juan Tomás Díaz, President Save the Children Dominicana.
Tourism for the SDGsProjects must be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations. Additionally, they must be framed in one (or several) of the following areas:ADVERTISEMENT >The management of destinations or the private management of solutions/products/services developed around and education as tourism and education products;
Seeking a balance between sustainable development and the profitability of the project, maximizing its positive impacts.
The connection with the market and the user experience in all phases of the journeyhe connection
Applications are open until 25 June, 2022. The winning projects will be selected based on several criteria, such as the degree of innovation, and its viability and sustainability. The winners will be invited to the Tourism Tech Adventure in the Dominican Republic that will take place in November 2022.
Tourism education for empowermentTourism is one of the largest sectors in the world, accounting for more than 4% of direct global GDP in 2019. In the Americas, the contribution of tourism to regional GDP fell from 3.4% to 1.6% during the pandemic. Central America and the Caribbean represent 4.8% of global international arrivals, and reflect the potential in all tourism sub-sectors, and their needs for good training and education.
After the effects of COVID-19, this sector is reinventing itself to achieve more responsible, innovative and accessible tourism. The pandemic has also disrupted education systems around the world, highlighting that digital learning must become an essential service available to all. This means that all children and young people have access to first-rate digital solutions that facilitate personalized learning and open the doors to a better future.
UNWTO supports digital education and innovation initiatives promoted by Startups and small and medium-sized enterprises, which will play a leading role in the revival of tourism in the coming years.

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