Developing the skills that tourism requires

[Jangle]

As an economic driver it has largely outpaced other sectors to the extent that in much of the region the industry now generates the largest national share of GDP, delivers significant taxes and foreign exchange, and performs a critical social role as the largest direct and indirect private employer of labour

Despite this relative success, the industry’s future should not be taken for granted.

While tourism globally is trending upwards, recent reports suggest that this is not the likely trajectory for the Caribbean. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region will by 2030 be experiencing much higher growth rates than the Caribbean.


As with so much else in the Caribbean, developing skills in tourism needs the closer engagement of educational institutions at all levels, and the willingness of teachers to understand and inspire. It requires too the active involvement of the industry, the support of national hotel associations, and the engagement of international hotel chains in developing training programmes across their global portfolio.


http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/b...urism-requires

[Assasin]

The WTTC has also projected that tourism in the Caribbean will create over 500,000 new jobs over the next ten years. Frank Comito observes that this clearly indicates that the demand side opportunities exist, and that tourism offers one of the best opportunities for professional growth and upward mobility. “Over one in five jobs in our industry are supervisory and above, and require some level of post-secondary education,” he says. “It’s in industry’s and a country’s interest to work together to develop and elevate local talent.”

nothing more to say.