THE Tourism Ministry’s five-year strategic plan is slated to be completed by April, 2016, subject Minister Catherine Hughes disclosed last Thursday.Hughes said the plan, which is being crafted at the moment, is in keeping with the ministry’s mandate to design and implement a national tourism policy that will move the industry forward.
Existing policies and researched information are being reviewed at the moment. “We want to go through, read and assess it,” Hughes said, “so when we create this strategic plan, we have a policy, and we have a road map for Guyana going forward, initially for the first five years.”
Minister Hughes, who was at the time speaking at a press conference at her Ministry, Colgrain House, used the opportunity to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Tourism Ministry and those of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA).
It was explained that in addition to developing a National Tourism Policy, the Tourism Ministry is responsible for regional and international cooperation, the establishment of strategic marketing policy, budget coordination, training and education, and most importantly tourism investment facilitation.
On the other hand, the GTA continues to focus on human resource development and training, research and data collection, the monitoring of standards and regulations within the industry, among other tasks. .
In addition to differentiating the Tourism Ministry from GTA, Minister Hughes also used the opportunity to update the press on her recent visit to Suriname, during which she paid a courtesy call on her Surinamese counterpart, Rusland Andojo. At the time, she was on her way to French Guiana for the final leg of the Nereid’s Yachting Rally. During that visit on October 2, the two ministers had an in-depth discussion on the plethora of opportunities that can foster the growth of tourism in the Guianas Shield.
She conveyed Guyana’s desire to work in close collaboration with Suriname and French Guiana, to collectively promote the tourism industries in the Guianas, and to market our destinations under the umbrella of this historic Guianas Shield. The various areas of cooperation that exist, including the vast potential for visitor exchanges and for jointly marketing the Shield as a multi-destinational tour packages were among areas discussed.
Newly appointed Director-General of the Tourism Ministry Donald Sinclair, who assumed duties on October 1, 2015 and GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh were also present during the press conference on Thursday.