AS I travel to different destinations, I am amazed at the kind of money tourists from developed countries pay to see activities that are billed under adventure or tropical tourism – simple activities that almost every non-urban child does in Guyana while growing up.  If these activities can be set up in Guyana and we bring tourists we will quickly acquire the resources to become a developed nation.
I just returned from a trip to Hawaii. These islands are beautiful and exotic. They are great for a vacation although I prefer the Caribbean islands for rest and relaxation. The Hawaiian economy centres on the military, tourism and agriculture (growing sugar cane, pineapple and other tropical fruits) with very little natural resources. Without tourists, the economy would be in shambles. Tourists are excited about farm life.  They pay big bucks to see various aspects of life on a coconut plantation. They are amazed at how the boys climb coconut trees, peel a dry coconut, crack a dry coconut, grate a coconut, make milk from the grated coconut, make sugar cake, coconut oil, etc.
They also enjoy a visit to a fruit farm where they taste and purchase pineapples (minimum of US $4 each for some of the sourest pine I ever ate) and other tropical fruits and their jams (mangoes, cherries, guava, dunks, etc).  They are impressed with cooking on a wood stove and how coconut husks fuel fire, etc. — things that almost every rural youngster did in my days.  I never thought people would pay big bucks to see these things and leaving impressed. I saw coconut oil being packaged as organic oil and sold for US $15 for half a pint.  The Japanese, Koreans, and Taiwanese buy large quantities of oil to take back to their homelands.  So tourism does not have to be beaches but could be visits to farms, plantations, and local shows featuring life (culture). There is a lot in Guyana that can be organized to lure tourists to our hinterlands and rural areas. We have better tropics than Hawaii for animal and plant lovers.  Our tropics are largely un-spoilt and Kaieteur Falls will be loved by tourists.  What we need is a planning and marketing strategy to bring more tourists to our country which may require a reliable airline service that is not into price gouging.
As is usual in my travels, I inquired about and met a few Guyanese in Hawaii.  When I last visited eight years ago, I did not meet any Guyanese or West Indians in Hawaii. But
on this trip, I discovered some have settled there and they seem to be doing quite well thousands of miles away from New York.  I met a young Afro-Guyanese who tried to get me to go to a vacation sales presentation and there is a Guyanese serving as a priest in the ISKCON (Hare Krishna) Hare Krishna movement. And there are West Indian tourists like me enjoying the beaches. Some Guyanese, serving as military personnel of the US armed forces, are stationed on the islands but do come for relaxation at the famous Waikiki beach.  Previously, I interviewed several Guyanese who were stationed in Hawaii and now settled in NY and they spoke allot about their time at Waikiki — the place to be. Today, West Indians in Hawaii are hurting from the slump in the economy as they are in other states.
There is no evidence of a West Indian lifestyle in Hawaii as in NY or Florida.  There are no West Indian stores or restaurants although there are Indian restaurants.  It is impossible to get a traditional West Indian meal with Guyanese and Trinis craving for roti and curry goat or mutton.  I met a Trini who says he missed his “doubles” and the other traditional delicacies we enjoy in West Indian communities in NY. But the Hawaiian culture does have some similarities with Guyana’s.  The natives are very friendly and refer to each other as brother or sister as we do and to elders as “Uncle” and “Aunty”. Some of the vegetables and fruits found in Guyana are in Hawaii — bora, saijan bhajji, corilla, sugar apple, tamarind, dasheen, eddoes, etc. are grown in peoples yards. The people are very religious and hard working like Guyanese. The local Polynesian Hawaiian culture is revered by tourists. The local language is taught in the schools and the music is gentle with some similarities to Indian music.
As they are with the Hawaiian way of life, tourists would be impressed with the Guyanese culture because we have so much more to offer from our six different peoples.