Tourism Minister Bartlett Advocates for Enhanced Commonwealth Collaboration to Drive Global Tourism Growth

  • Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has underscored the need for a stronger and more cohesive tourism strategy across Commonwealth nations to leverage the immense potential for economic and social development.
  • Speaking at the International Tourism and Investment Conference (ITIC)1 Global Tourism Investment Summit in London, England, Minister Bartlett called Commonwealth countries to join forces in making tourism a transformative driver of inclusive growth. He pointed to the Commonwealth’s 2.7Bn population across 56 diverse nations as a potent platform for economic collaboration and its youthful demographic with 60% below the age of 29 as a “… powerful force for innovation, adaptability, and growth in tourism”.
  • Minister Bartlet also pointed to the Commonwealth’s projections for a combined GDP of $20.0Tn by 2029 reflects not only the economic scale but the diversity among member nations, from large economies like India and the UK to smaller island states.
  • Intra-commonwealth trade, which reached $854Bn in 2022, is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2026, offering vast potential for growth in sectors such as tourism, food trade, foreign direct investment and services.
  • Minister Bartlett also advocated for using tourism as a soft power tool to strengthen the Commonwealth’s standing globally and pointed to the immediate positive revenue contributions of tourism to local economies.
  • He encouraged the Commonwealth Secretariat to lead the charge in enhancing visitor facilitation, open skies agreements, visa liberalization and technology integration to boost connectivity among member states.

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1The ITIC Global Tourism Investment Summit is an annual gathering that brings together key stakeholders, including tourism ministers, industry leaders and potential investors, to discuss investment opportunities in sustainable tourism.

(Source: JIS)