The 4th Global Tourism Resilience Day, Conference and Expo will officially open on Monday morning at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, with Prof. Kithure Kindiki, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, leading the opening ceremony at 9:00am.
The high-level opening underscores Kenya’s strong political backing for tourism resilience at a time when destinations worldwide are grappling with climate shocks, health crises, economic volatility and geopolitical uncertainty.
Prof. Kindiki’s participation positions the Nairobi gathering as more than an industry event, signalling tourism’s growing importance within national development, stability and recovery strategies.
He will be joined at the opening by Rebecca Miano, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, and Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism and Founder and Co-Chair of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Centre, which has been central to advancing the global tourism resilience agenda.
The opening session will also feature remarks from Prof. John Okumu, Acting Vice Chancellor of Kenyatta University, and Prof. Lloyd Waller, Executive Director of the GTRCMC.
Following the opening, attention will turn to Resilience Policy in Practice, the first high-level panel of the day, which will examine how governments are translating resilience frameworks into actionable tourism policy. The session will bring together Rebecca Miano, Edmund Bartlett, Denay Jock Chagor of South Sudan and regional policymakers.
Later in the day, discussions will shift towards implementation and financing, including sessions on local destination resilience, investment mobilisation, and crisis response readiness, reinforcing the conference’s theme of moving from crisis response to impactful transformation.
Day One will conclude with cultural performances and an expo walkthrough, offering delegates an opportunity to engage with solution providers and experience Kenya’s cultural heritage alongside the policy conversations.
As proceedings get underway, expectations are high that the Nairobi conference — led from the outset by Kenya’s top leadership — will help reposition tourism resilience as a practical, investable and Africa-led global priority.
The conference follows a high-level opening dinner and welcome reception held on Sunday evening at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, which brought together tourism ministers from Jamaica, Angola, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside delegates, speakers and exhibitors from across Africa, the Caribbean and beyond.
Welcoming guests on behalf of the Government and people of Kenya, Rebecca Miano, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, described the Nairobi gathering as a call to move tourism resilience from concept to action, stressing the need for leadership that is steady, inclusive and forward-looking.
Brief remarks by Edmund Bartlett reinforced the human dimension of resilience, highlighting tourism’s vulnerability to climate, health, economic and geopolitical disruptions, while underscoring the importance of building capacity and protecting livelihoods.
The reception, featuring Kenyan cuisine and cultural performances, set an anticipatory tone for the formal opening on Monday, as global tourism leaders prepare to translate dialogue into practical outcomes over the days ahead.
