KINGSTON, JAMAICA, March 17, 2022 – On Friday, March 25, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with George Brown College to establish a Satellite Resilience Centre. Minister Bartlett will be joined by Dr. Gervan Fearon, George Brown’s President, for the official signing of an MOU between the College and the main Global Tourism Resilience & Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) based at the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus in Jamaica.
The GTRCMC was established in 2018 by the Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Dr. Taleb Rafai (Former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization) as a global think tank that focuses exclusively on building resilience and managing crises that disrupt tourism. George Brown College will become the first Canadian partner of the Centre and establish a Satellite Centre focused on research and development, policy advocacy and communication management, program/project design and management, and training and capacity building in various areas.
This partnership announcement between the GTRCMC and George Brown College comes at a critical time for the industry as it recovers from a global pandemic and deals with economic fallout from the ongoing war in East Europe. The Centre also focuses on research and anticipating the next inevitable crises and tourism disruptors so that global tourism destinations can better prepare themselves and ensure tourism resilience and ability to recover from these disruptors.
“We are thrilled to embark on this partnership with George Brown College as they establish a GTRCMC Satellite Centre in Canada. This Centre will be a Centre of excellence for research related to tourism resilience and an opportunity to exchange knowledge between our countries to benefit global tourism,” said Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “This is a critical time in history for us to forge global partnerships in order to ensure the resilience of our industry.”
“George Brown College offers an innovative approach to career-oriented education programs and applied research initiatives within the Canadian setting,” said Dr. Gervan Fearon, President of George Brown College. “This partnership with the GTRCMC at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica is an exciting opportunity for our College, particularly for our School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and recently established Brookfield Sustainability Institute. This collaboration includes international learning exchange, joint teaching between our institutions, as well as industry-focused student exchange and applied research activities. This partnership provides the opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to contribute to tourism sustainability in a real and tangible way at a global level.”
Media Advisory for MOU Signing Event
What: Official Signing of Memorandum of Understanding, Establishment of Satellite Centre
Where: Jamaican Canadian Association Hall, 995 Arrow Road, North York, ON
When: 10:00 am EST
Please RSVP your attendance to one of the two media contacts listed below. Media interviews and photo opportunities will be available with the Hon. Edmund Bartlett and Dr. Gervan Fearon.
Media Contact – George Brown College
Joyann Callender, Senior Manager, External Communications & Social Media
George Brown College
647.988.0306
jcallender3@georgebrown.ca
Media Contact – Jamaica Tourist Board/GTRCMC:
Emily Dunn, Managing Director
Fever Pitch Marketing Communications
416.828.4188
emily@feverpitchcommunications.com
