What I am about to share may be one of the most important economic conversations Jamaica should be having, and the start of the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season is a momentous occasion to kick off the discussion.

While reviewing data on the rapidly expanding creator economy, I noticed something astonishing. According to Goldman Sachs, the global creator economy is already worth more than US$250 billion and could approach US$480 billion by 2027. Now, let's put those mind-boggling numbers into perspective. This means the creator economy is already approaching 70 per cent of the size of the global business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, a sector that many developing countries, including Jamaica, have aggressively pursued as a major source of jobs and foreign exchange earnings. More importantly, the creator economy is growing significantly faster and is on track to match, or potentially surpass, the size of the BPO industry within the next few years.

Now compare it to travel and tourism, an industry that still dwarfs the creator economy and generates trillions of dollars annually. This may seem an unfair comparison, but for us, it's precisely what should be placed under a microscope. Tourism has been one of Jamaica's most important economic pillars for decades. Yet the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Beryl and the monster storm that was Melissa provided painful reminders of our vulnerability. Preliminary data from the Planning Institute of Jamaica shows a nearly 6 per cent GDP decline in the first quarter of 2026. Tourism, agriculture, mining, and other sectors all still reeling. For the next six months we'll hold our collective breaths, well aware that most industries are exposed to extreme weather events.