Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has called on the Jamaican Diaspora to take decisive steps in support of efforts to strengthen the resilience of the island’s tourism sector.

This as the sector pursues a target of attracting 10 million visitors and earning US$10 billion, over the next 10 years.

Mr. Bartlett was speaking during a panel discussion at the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora conference in St. James.

Mr. Bartlett challenged the influential Jamaican Diaspora to expand their role beyond sending remittances, and become stakeholders and investors in the industry, by bringing resource and capital support to the country and being part of marketing initiatives to secure more tourists.

He invited members of the diaspora to deepen their tourism connections through investments and create greater local ownership in the industry.

The Minister also spoke to the need to create a diaspora climate corp, comprised of professional and well connected persons who can contribute their knowledge and experience in building out the country’s resilience infrastructure.

He urged them to help finance solar systems, water systems, reef restoration, climate smart agriculture, community tourism and resilience upgrades.

Mr. Bartlett added that even one percent of remittance power can build real climate resilience.

He said while the continued high arrivals reflected national confidence, climate change is one of the destination’s greatest challenge, as a significant share of tourism assets sits by the sea, giving both beauty and exposure to operating realities, leading to what he termed, a perception risk.

The Minister explained that in tourism, perception can damage a destination faster than a hurricane because perception influences travel and confidence

He noted that confidence is currency, so, if Jamaica is to protect tourism in the climate era, it must protect not only roads, airports, hotels, and beaches, but visitor and investor trust.