Written by Juergen T Steinmetz
Jamaica and Sierra Leone have strengthened ties in Africa–Caribbean tourism, reaffirming their commitment to global tourism resilience and youth leadership. Following high-level talks in Kingston, Sierra Leone will mark Global Tourism Resilience Day 2026 with a youth-focused seminar, while both nations advance cultural collaboration, institutional resilience, and the impact of new regional initiatives worldwide.
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica and Sierra Leone have reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing global tourism resilience, youth leadership and deeper Africa–Caribbean tourism cooperation, following a high-level meeting hosted on February 3 by Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, alongside Sierra Leone’s Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Nabeela Tunis.
The meeting, held at Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism in New Kingston, focused on Sierra Leone’s plans to observe Global Tourism Resilience Day on February 17, 2026, with a youth-centred seminar at the University of Sierra Leone. The initiative places young people at the centre of global conversations on resilience, cultural identity, and sustainable development and forms part of Sierra Leone’s declaration of 2026 as its Year of Culture and Creativity.
Minister Bartlett welcomed Minister Tunis to Jamaica and underscored the deeper significance of her visit, describing it as a reconnection between Africa and the Caribbean rooted in shared heritage and future-focused collaboration.
“Her visit is not only about bilateral relations, but about reconnecting with the roots of our own diaspora,” Minister Bartlett said. “It continues to emphasise the relationship between the mother continent Africa and the Caribbean, and our commitment to building tourism capacity, resilience and institutional strength across the globe.”
Highlighting Jamaica’s leadership in resilience-building, Minister Bartlett recalled the country’s successful advocacy for United Nations recognition of February 17 as Global Tourism Resilience Day in 2023. He confirmed that the first international observance outside Jamaica will be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 17, 2026, with multiple countries activating parallel events worldwide.
“We are very proud to announce that the first global celebration outside Jamaica will be in Nairobi, Kenya, but Sierra Leone will also add its voice in a meaningful way,” he noted.
Minister Tunis expressed solidarity with Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa and praised the country’s resilience-driven recovery, while outlining Sierra Leone’s decision to centre its 2026 observance on youth empowerment.
“Young people are not products of crisis; they are builders of our future,” she said. “By hosting this seminar at the University of Sierra Leone, we are creating space for students and young people to speak about what resilience means to them and how it shapes the future global discourse.”
She added that at least 300 young people are expected to participate and expressed confidence that the initiative would evolve into a lasting, impactful platform. Minister Tunis also confirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to legacy projects, including land already allocated for a Jamaican Cultural Village in Sierra Leone.
In a major additional announcement, Minister Bartlett revealed plans to establish the first West African satellite location of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC), to be inaugurated in Freetown during his attendance at the One Nation Reggae Festival in November 2026.
Executive Director of the GTRCMC, Lloyd Waller, welcomed Sierra Leone into what he described as the global “ecosystem of tourism resilience,” noting that the Centre’s work spans climate resilience, entrepreneurship, wildlife tourism, heritage preservation, geopolitics and emerging cyber threats.
“Tourism is not just a conversation or a wealth generator for a few. It is a development tool – one that creates jobs, supports livelihoods, drives foreign investment and transforms economies. Protecting and enhancing tourism is therefore essential,” Professor Waller stressed.
He also revealed that the 2026 Global Tourism Resilience Day observance will be a first-ever 24-hour global event, moving across regions from the Middle East to Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and North America, and streamed worldwide.
Reinforcing the transformational power of tourism, Minister Bartlett pointed to its central role in Jamaica’s economic evolution. “Tourism has become the successor bedrock economic activity to sugar. It has done what sugar could not, transforming sleepy villages into major commercial centres like Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Negril. Because its vulnerabilities are known, its resilience must be celebrated,” he said.
