An incredible story waiting to unfold

Last year, Guyana’s tourism industry undoubtedly made tremendous strides, capturing the attention of the world with its truly unique ecological nature and adventure tourism. The tourism sector holds great potential, and can contribute to Guyana’s development by helping to generate income, facilitate investments, earn foreign exchange, and create employment for the benefit of every Guyanese. 

According to subject Minster Manniram Prashad, it is the industry of the future; and we must concede that the future of our tourism industry holds a lot of promise for our country as a whole. Even Mr Hugh Riley, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), sees Guyana as “a natural magnet for serious vacationers”, and noted that it is an incredible story waiting to unfold. 

Indeed, tourism in Guyana has grown significantly over the years; and although it is still evolving, it has reached a major milestone by making our presence known to the world through excellent international coverage. Kudos must be given to the Ministry of Tourism for the aggressive marketing initiatives and programmes being pursued, in partnership with the private sector, to put Guyana on the map and to realise our true tourism potential.  

There is a lot to be proud of. For 2010, Guyana was on show at several major international trade shows. The authorities have stated that, to date, more than 100 international tour companies are proactively selling “Destination Guyana”, which is critical to tourism development and growth. Last year, there were a few familiarisation tours, which are important for giving our destination credibility, as selected companies are invited to sample and comment upon the country’s tourism product and hospitality. This has given Guyana a lot of international publicity. 

Further, there was a series of wonderful travel stories about Guyana in major international publications. Guyana’s unique product was featured, and made headlines around the world, as a fantastic birding and wildlife tourist destination. 

Importantly, no doubt, our country has gained a lot of attention for its leading role in the fight against climate change through our Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The publicity that we received through this strategy alone, and the fact that president Jagdeo is viewed as a leader in the battle against climate change, have put our country on the world stage. 

It is expected that, this year, another BBC team will begin shooting for a ten-part series, called “Serious Explorers”, retracing the footsteps of Sir Walter Raleigh in his quest to find the fabled City of Gold, El Dorado. Also, another major production company — Red Bull Media House — is producing a documentary on the famous Mount Roraima; and popular British film producer and creative director Russell Malkin is featuring Guyana in his new book, called ‘101 Amazing Adventures of the World’. All of this will definitely help our tourism product to grow; and it is now time for every citizen to join in this tourism drive. The efforts being made by the government and the private sector are beginning to bear fruit, as we continue to see positive trends in visitor arrivals. 

However, there is need for more work to be done in the area of training and capacity building if our services sector is to respond effectively to the opportunities that present themselves. The Tourism Ministry has been doing some training, but this may not be enough. Training and capacity building should be done in a more rigid and comprehensive manner, and should be continuous.  

However, there are a few areas that must be looked at by the authorities, among which are improving access to Guyana by air. Visitors to Guyana have complained bitterly that the experience with some of the airlines coming to Guyana is not a pleasant one. This is enough to discourage tourists from coming to Guyana. It is our hope that, for 2011, the authorities will resolve all related problems being experienced with respect to air services to the country. 

Notwithstanding that, 2010 has seen a number of notable new investments to add to the visitor’s experience and make us a destination of choice, and we must continue in this regard. To their credit, the Tourism Ministry and the GTA are seeking to diversify our tourism product by exploring new frontiers and ensuring sustainable tourism by pursuing yachting/cruising, sport fishing, sport tourism, volunteer tourism, agro-tourism, community-based tourism, etc; and this is a move in the right direction, as visitors are always looking for different and new experiences. No doubt, a lot has happened in this sector within the last year; and although we still have a long road ahead of us, Guyana’s tourism holds a bright future.