​For the first time, the world is celebrating Global Tourism Resilience Day today,

Proclaimed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, to be set aside every February 17^th, the special day aims to emphasize the need to foster resilient tourism development to deal with shocks, taking into account the vulnerability of the tourism sector to emergencies.

The idea was developed by the Jamaican government to call for action for member states to develop national strategies for rehabilitation after disruptions, including through private-public cooperation and the diversification of activities and products.

The United Nations says “developing countries, including the least developed countries, small island developing states, countries in Africa and middle-income countries, embrace tourism as a major source of income, foreign currency earnings, tax revenue and employment”

In addition, it says because tourism often connects people with nature, sustainable tourism has the unique ability to spur environmental responsibility and conservation.

“The use of sustainable and resilient tourism as a tool to foster sustained and inclusive economic growth, social development and financial inclusion, enables the formalization of the informal sector, the promotion of domestic resource mobilization and environmental protection and the eradication of poverty and hunger, including the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and natural resources and the promotion of investment and entrepreneurship in sustainable tourism,” the UN posits.

The first annual Global Tourism Resilience Conference (GTRC) ends in Kingston today Friday