Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Manniram Prashad
Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Manniram Prashad has said that the country’s tourism sector is open for investments, adding that continued cooperation from partners, and infrastructural developments that occurred over the years have laid the foundation for the expansion of the industry.
“Guyana can be seen as the strategic and ideal place for investment opportunities,” Prashad said. At the time, he was speaking at a seminar on Cooperation in Tourism during the recently-concluded Third China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, held in Trinidad and Tobago.
The seminar was themed “Development Cooperation, Win for All”. Prashad said Guyana has a very attractive investment climate, which will see opportunities for investment in tourism on the horizon. He said forums such as the China- Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum will help to further enhance and boost sustainable economic development; create investment opportunities and joint ventures; strengthen the relationship between China and the Caribbean; and improve the region’s competitiveness, productivity and innovativeness.
He noted that Guyana has much to offer, and is trying to maximize its resources through cooperation. Guyana received Approved Destination Status (ADS) from China, and is working to tap into the huge outbound Chinese market, which is predicted to grow to an estimated US$100 million by 2015.
The country’s diplomatic relations with China, Prashad said, continue to be strengthened and furthered, with cooperation in key projects such as the Skeldon sugar factory and the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC).
Cooperation ensures a win/win situation, he noted.
The tourism minister said “Guyana – the Amazon Adventure” has much to offer: from its pristine tropical and Amazonian rainforest with amazing wildlife, including more than 860 species of birds, to nine indigenous tribes, to a rich and diverse cultural heritage, along with friendly and welcoming people.
He noted that with Guyana’s stance on climate change and the environment, the tourism industry will become even more sustainable, and stressed that Guyana is also a safe haven, free from hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Surama village of Guyana recently won the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Award jointly with Harrison’s Cave of Barbados, and this nation will be hosting 13th Annual Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-13) of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) next April.
“Take the opportunity and be a part of Guyana’s development, advancement and progress by investing in tourism – the industry of the future for Guyana,” he encouraged those gathered at the forum.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Administration of the People’s Republic of China, Shao Qiwei, said China’s tourism industry is growing at a rapid pace. He said that in 2010, China received 55.66 million inbound overnight visitors and recorded 57.39 million outbound visitations, contributing 6.14 per cent to international tourist arrivals for the year (935 million in 2010). The Chinese outbound visitors’ expenditure was registered at US$54.9 billion, accounting for 5.97 per cent of global visitors’ spending (US$920 billion in 2010), he said.
