Tourism is a precious global product that operates as an integral product to the entire globe. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, as of 2017, the total contribution of Travel & Tourism accounted for 10.4% of GDP as well as 9.9% of jobs.
Tourism has created a conduit through which social, cultural and recreational interactions have birthed some of the most enduring relationships, inventions and even international agreements, which have benefitted the world at large. Any threat to a country’s tourism is therefore a threat to globalization and international harmony.
Tourism sectors in all countries currently face several external threats and internal challenges and disruptions. These disruptions include, among other things, climate change and natural disasters, cybercrime, cyber-security, pandemics, terrorism, war, population and the changing funding models.
The Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre was founded to address these disruptions. The ultimate purpose of the Centre will be to assist destination preparedness, management and recovery from disruptions and/or crises that impact tourism and threaten economies and livelihoods globally. The Centre will be called to operate in a global context that is characterised by not only new challenges but also new opportunities for tourism to improve the tourism product as well as to ensure the sustainability of tourism globally.