Guyana has achieved its goal in promoting eco-tourism – GTA head

With the help of government and the private sector, Guyana has achieved its goal of promoting its pristine eco-tourism sites, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Indranauth Haralsingh, has said.

In an interview with this newspaper, Haralsingh said that Guyana is now popularly known as “Guyana – The Amazon Adventure” throughout many countries in the world. This is because of the many strides that have been taken to develop the sector.

The GTA head explained that the tourism industry’s major achievement is the recorded increase in arrivals this year. From last year’s 80,000 visitors, this year’s figure stands at 143,000 visitors to the present date. Haralsingh said that, based on a recent analysis, Guyana is likely to surpass even this figure by 10 per cent next year. 

The Rupununi is the area most visited by tourists from around the world. The second most visited area is the Kaieteur National Park, and this is followed by Iwokrama and its canopy, then Essequibo, and then Georgetown.

The GTA head added that tourism plays a key role in Guyana’s National Development Strategy, its Low Carbon Development Strategy, and the Millennium Development Goals.

He, however, expressed concern over the fact that air services are still too costly, and prevent more tourists from visiting Guyana.

“Airlift is important to a destination’s survival and growth,” he stated.

Keen interest

More tour operators continue to express interest in Guyana. Guyana is best known for bird watching, Haralsingh said. He pointed out that two international companies – Costa Del Mar and Recol Enterprises – recently visited Guyana to develop sport fishing in the country.

There has also been growth in the sales distribution network, according to Haralsingh. “We have also grown, over five years, from three operators to over 60 international companies, which are now proactively selling Destination Guyana every day,” he said.

“Our tourism industry has also been widely advertised in a number of ways. Firstly, Guyana has leveraged millions of United States dollars in terms of exposure and coverage in the international press through documentaries and television footage. Haralsingh disclosed that at the end of December this year, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will start production of a 10-series documentary on Guyana, which is expected to showcase Guyana’s history, from Sir Walter Raleigh’s search for the City of El Dorado to the present day.

As regards government and the GTA’s plans to enhance and improve tourism products and services, Haralsingh said, training is the most essential component. This, he said, has begun with various training programmes in packaging, hospitality, and other critical topics all useful to the tourism industry. Additionally, Guyana will be launching an emarketing campaign in 2011, while the Tourism Ministry and the GTA will team up to launch an emagazine in order to raise more awareness about Destination Guyana.

Guyana is currently observing Tourism Awareness Month under the theme: “Community Based Tourism: Preserving the Unique Character and Culture of Communities”.