–as the new kid on the world travel market block
By Wendella Davidson
GUYANA’S recent listing as one of the Top 20 Destinations to visit in 2020 by the Conde Nast travel magazine that subsequently led to its being featured on the popular NBC Today show in New York, is being celebrated by President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Rajkumar and Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Brian Mullis.
Conde Nast Traveller is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast, which, according to Wikipedia, has won 25 National Magazine Awards. The NBC Today Show has millions of viewers daily.
In an invited comment on Sunday, Rajkumar said he views the occurrence as “a big deal” for tourism in Guyana, as it strengthens his position that tourism should be the new frontier industry for Guyana.
He said that with Conde Nast being a top journal, having our majestic Kaieteur Falls being featured on the NBC Today show, which has millions of viewers, will “entice many people to consider visiting Guyana this year and beyond, since it highlighted the geographic location of Guyana and its being the only English-speaking country in South America with a vibrant culture.
“This is very important, because many people don’t even know Guyana exists. And if they think they do, they often mistake us for Ghana,” Rajkumar said, adding that the show also highlighted that there are direct flights from New York to Guyana, which is another big plus in Guyana’s favour, as it adds to the excitement of Destination Guyana’s winning a whopping six awards in 2019.
In early December 2018, Rajkumar, while speaking at a function, had noted that the tourism industry primarily benefits the grassroots people. “Guyana is a new oil-and- gas frontier. We see tourism as a new frontier industry for Guyana. It will bring us tremendous and lasting benefits long after the oil has subsided,” he’d said, adding: “I would argue that we are now on the global travel radar, not because of big oil, but because Guyana is such an extraordinary travel destination, with its wealth of natural and cultural heritage.”
Rajkumar also that another plus in Guyana’s favour is being named by the UK Telegraph Magazine as the number one Destination to visit in 2020.
On the US television Network’s ‘Today Show’ with hosts Hoda Kotb and Al Roker on Thursday, January 2, 2020, Conde Nast’s contributing editor Mark Ellwood gave insights on Guyana; Santa Fe, New Mexico; southwest Michigan and the Canadian Arctic.
‘A BONUS CARIBBEAN COUNTRY’
Describing Guyana as “a wonderful place to go overseas,” Ellwood remarked, “You look on the map, you will see it is just in the northern part of South America. But I would encourage you to think of it as a bonus Caribbean country, because, culturally, it is much more connected to places such as Trinidad and Tobago. It has beautiful beaches, really diverse ethnic heritage, and brilliant Chinese food.”
Of the Kaieteur Falls, reputedly one of the tallest single-drop waterfalls in the world, Ellwood, besides exclaiming, “Look at that waterfall!” also made reference to Guyana’s being a part of the Amazon Rainforest, and having “lots of new direct flights from New York. “Very affordable family destinations,” he said, adding: “You are not going to spend more than 200 bucks a night.”
Mullis, meanwhile, said: “Guyana is being recognised within the global travel and tourism industry for its long-standing sustainability agenda, and the resultant extraordinary experiences that differentiate the country from every other destination in the world. In 2019, we received five awards for our past and our recent efforts to become a leading sustainable destination. In the last few weeks, Guyana has been listed as the Number One destination to visit in The Telegraph’s ‘20 must-visit places for 2020’; Condé Nast Traveler’s ‘20 Places to Visit in 2020’; Travel + Leisure’s ‘50 Best Places to Travel in 2020’; and the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Adventure Vacations for Overachievers’.
As he went on to say, “Our oil discoveries put Guyana ‘on the map’ for business travellers, whereas the tourism sector collectively put the country ‘on the map’ for what sets Guyana apart from a leisure traveller’s perspective. This led to Destination Guyana being recognised on the Today Show.”
According to the Telegraph article, “At a time when tourism is becoming overbearing, remote, underrated Guyana is a rarity more precious than gold. But Guyana, a tangled mass of pristine rainforest on South America’s north-eastern tip, is one of the few spots on scratch maps likely to have its shiny foil intact.
“Four centuries after Walter Raleigh came here looking for the fabled lost city of El Dorado, prospectors have struck gold in the form of offshore oil. Extraction is due to start in 2020, potentially catapulting the continent’s only English-speaking country from rags to riches. But this stalwart of sustainability is determined to keep its true treasures safe.”
In August l2019, Guyana was awarded the Destination Stewardship Award by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) during the Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Awards held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The country was also recognised as the world’s Best in Ecotourism”, and one of the Top 10 Sustainable Destinations by the Green Destination Foundation and ITB Berlin. It was also recognised for having the best destination video at the Golden City Gate Foundation at ITB. Also, in June 2019, Guyana was recognised as the “Best in Sustainable Tourism” by the Latin American Travel Association (LATA).
