THE Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative recently promoted Guyana’s tourism products at the Adventure Travel World Summit (ATWS) in Aviemore, Scotland from October 4-7.
The ATWS, which is sponsored by the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), is held annually at different locations around the world. Attending the ATWS assists Guyana to access the high-value experiential tourism market and to generate new clients, revenues and business opportunities.

The ATWS combines Business-to-Business focused networking with professional development activities, while providing opportunities for Guyana tourism representatives to establish relationships and important industry connections with international tour operators, media and other adventure and experiential tourism partners.

Working closely with ATTA also allows Guyana delegates to obtain introductions to key travel influencers and endorsements for travel trade and media familiarization trips and other programme activities used to increase tourism arrivals in Guyana.

According to their website, www.adventuretravel.biz, “The Seattle-based ATTA is a global membership organization dedicated to unifying, professionalizing, promoting and responsibly growing the adventure and travel market worldwide.

ATTA members include tour operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism boards, travel agents/agencies, guides, lodges/resorts/attractions, media and service providers.”

The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) has been a member of the ATTA for several years and in 2009 Guyana joined the association as a destination member (http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/guyanasustainable-
tourism-initiative).

The ATTA has a membership base of more than 600 and their Summits – open to both members and non-members – draw more than 500 people. Tourism specialist for the Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative, Judy Karwacki, represented Guyana at this year’s Summit.

The Summit included a full-day Business-to-Business Marketplace event during which many media and tourism delegates scheduled meetings at the Guyana table to learn more about South America’s rising ecotourism destination.

Networking sessions were also held throughout the ATWS and some of the media that expressed interest in Guyana included the magazines National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Wanderlust; the website Away.com; and travel writers Keith Bellows, Judith Fein, and Ellen Baron.
A few tour operators excited to hear about new developments in Guyana’s tourism industry included Adventure Life, Duvine Adventures, Gap Adventures, International Expeditions, Intrepid Travel, and Wildland Adventures.

The Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative is a joint project of the Guyana Tourism Authority and the United States Agency for International Development/Guyana Trade and Investment Support (USAID/GTIS) project.
For more information on tourism in Guyana, visit www.guyana.travel, www.guyanabirding.com and www.guyanatourism.com.