Stop talking and start doing!This was the strong message from former Prime Minister of Jamaica the Most Honourable Percival James Patterson to Caribbean leaders on forming trade and investment ties with Africa.He said there were several areas in which the Caribbean and the African continent could collaborate in an effort to have economic and social benefits flowing both ways, especially with tourism.He said if the long talked about trade, tourism and investment bridge between the two regions was necessary before the COVID-19 pandemic then it was “even more essential now”.“Let us forge a strong, broad coalition that includes governments, private sector, bankers, hoteliers, academia, communities and the entire diaspora, to create a mutually-rewarding tourism architecture which is adaptable, competitive and sustainable,” he told participants on day two of the first Global Tourism Resilience Conference taking place at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.Pointing out that tourism could be a major catalyst for development of the two regions and that he has “been involved in south-south endeavours for a very long time”, Patterson declared “I think time come for us to stop talking about it and do something about it.”
