Get Ready For Growth

With the tourism sector rebound strongly from the global 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.

Pointing to a recent statement from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) that 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.

Madden-Greig said that: “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.”

And she added: “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.

The 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.

Said Madden-Greig: “Our tourism job bank is an excellent, free resource for both employers and job seekers,” and she 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.

Go to www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com for more.