Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Director Indranauth Haralsingh maintains that adherence to the tourism regulations in Guyana is crucial if the industry is to remain competitive.
In support of the drive to ensure that more businesses comply with regulations, the GTA continued its regulations awareness outreach exercise, on Monday, July 9, and met with several tourism establishment proprietors in Region Six.
This session formed part of a series of seminars which were conducted by the authority over the past month, leading up to the registration deadline which was set for July 10 by Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali.
Haralsingh reminded that the tourism industry/sector is very competitive and visitors’ expectations are very high and demanding. In this regard, it becomes imperative for service providers to meet and/or exceed expectations at all times, and compliance with the set standards and regulations will help them compete in the areas of quality, service, cleanliness, operations, safety etc.
He said: “We must deliver consistency in standards and regulations and quality. The tourism regulations will help the industry to be competitive and raise the bar on standards and excellence.”
“The passing of the regulations is a great achievement for the tourism industry. Indeed, it is a milestone that we have achieved. Therefore, businesses operating in the sector should have conformity high on their agenda,” the GTA director continued.
He said the primary areas where regulations would be applied are accommodation establishments, tour operators, interior resorts and lodges and tour guides. In accordance with the Guyana Tourism Act 2002, Chapter 91:12, Section 32 (One), “No person shall operate any tourism business except under and in accordance with a licence issued by the authority.”
Businesses encouraged
Meanwhile, Ali continues to urge stakeholders to comply with the regulations and guidelines set out in the GTA Act Number Three of 2002, to ensure the further growth and success of the tourism industry.
The ministry, he said, has been working with the private sector and other stakeholders to implement new ideas to attract visitors and tourists to Guyana, including the “Re-discover Home” initiative that has seen an increase of 25 per cent in the arrival rate for the first quarter of this year. In this regard, he said hotels, lodges and guest houses have reported an increase in bookings for the same period.
However, Ali acknowledged that the same period also reflects an increase in complaints from visitors.
“This is where regularisation and standardisation come in… we would have to let the visitors know the difference between what we would classify as the high end, medium and small resorts and hotels… so when visitors pay their money, they would know what to expect,” Ali explained.
