GuyExpo playing its part in promoting tourism – Haralsingh

By Michael Younge 

An an interview with Guyana Times International on Saturday, September 24, Indranauth Haralsingh, director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), said GuyExpo has impacted positively on efforts being made to improve the country’s domestic tourism profile, while simultaneously promoting sustainable tourism development.

He said the continuous staging of GuyExpo has helped to build domestic tourism while promoting and educating Guyanese about “things local”. He was convinced that the event is usually used by business entities and tourism stakeholders as the platform to disseminate information to the general public about new products on the market, or new developments within their entities.

“It has helped us for years to provide information about eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and other types of tourism. We have, through the event, been able to encourage Guyanese to travel the length and breadth of this country, to see its beauty and build the appreciation for conservation,” Haralsingh related.

He said statistics have revealed that there has been a hike in domestic tourism, with more Guyanese travelling internally to various destinations. More persons are also making requests for information about local and national tourism sites and destinations, according to Haralsingh.

He is accordingly convinced that GuyExpo has been partly responsible for the significant gains Guyana has made in its quest to promote sustainable tourism locally, regionally and internationally.

Haralsingh posited that, through the exposition, new events have sought to promote cultural diversity, local heritage, Guyanese creativity, and entrepreneurial skills and abilities.

It is believed that since the first exposition was staged in 1995, several new regional exhibitions have been birthed using knowledge gained from the exhibitions over the years.

Haralsingh noted that the impact of the event on setting the platform for the establishment of other local, regional and international trade and exhibition fairs cannot be underestimated, since many such were mounted using the ideologies of GuyExpo.

“It has given birth to similar trade fairs. For example, the Parika Expo, Rupununi Expo, Berbice Expo, Linden Expo, and several other expositions. It has had a positive impact on the domestic tourism product”, a confident Haralsingh explained.

Bringing business to the domestic market

The Guyana Tourism Authority maintains that, since 2002, GuyExpo has been bringing business to the domestic market and the tourism sector in particular, not only from huge regional companies, but it has managed to attract international investment from medium-scale companies as well.

Haralsingh explained that, already, several companies from various areas in the region are part of GuyExpo 2011. He reminded that these companies participate in the expo and usually have discussions and business deals with local companies, as they seek to bring regional direct investment to Guyana.

He alluded to the fact that, as Guyana continues to build its bilateral cooperation with Suriname, several companies and representatives from that country will use GuyExpo as an opportunity to create linkages with companies here through mutual dialogue and undertakings.

“This year, the Suriname Manufacturing Association, its tourism board, its hospitality and tourism college, government representatives and other important entities will be part of the expo. This is an indication of strengthened ties, which will likely result in more investment,” Haralsingh confided.

Other countries are on board to be part of the Caribbean’s largest exposition and trade fair, including Trinidad and Tobago, China, the U. S. A., and Jamaica, among others.

Meanwhile, there are just three days to go before GuyExpo is opened at the Sophia Exhibition Site.

Everything is progressing according to plan, so an unforgettable experience is anticipated. There will be more than 300 exhibitors displaying their products and services at the exposition, which is now in its 12th year. All booth spaces have been sold out, but the demand continues to increase from businesses and persons who have expressed a late interest in participating.

More than 150,000 patrons are expected to flock GuyExpo 2011. In launching this year’s expo under the theme “Enhancing growth through competitiveness”, Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Manniram Prashad had said that the event would see a high-level business seminar being staged on “How to do business in Guyana”. This seminar would attract more than 200 foreigners.

“We expect more than 70 businesses from Suriname, 35 from Brazil, and others from India, China, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Antigua,” Prashad reported.