THE Ministry of Tourism has reported that last year was fairly successful for the local tourism sector. And there is great optimism that this year would also be successful because tourism has started off on a good note with the visit of the cruise ship ‘MV Saga Pearl 2’ from Southampton, England, carrying some 350 passengers.
A great boost is also expected from the current trip by a BBC team to retrace the search for the fabled golden city of El Dorado by the famous British explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh.
Tourism Minister, Manniram Prashad, says at least four other cruise ships are expected to dock here by the end of April.
“The ships have started to come early this year and we feel that it was the marketing strategy used during the international trade shows and especially at the World Travel Market in London that contributed to this”, the minister said.
He said another ship is due here in three weeks — an indication that Guyana is fast becoming a destination of choice for tourists from Europe.
As for the implications of this for the destination, he said, “We are happy about this because (this visit) is a repeat visit, which means that the cruise liners, and especially the tourists, are very satisfied and the fact that they are returning is a good indication of this.”
Mr. Prashad said the continued visits by the cruise liners will serve to improve Guyana’s recognition internationally as the ideal tourist destination in South America and the Caribbean.
“Cruise ships mostly come when they want to see the Amazon. Guyana is one of the eight countries that form the Amazon Basin and we are happy that we were chosen”, he noted.
Marketing of Guyana’s tourism potential is critical to its growth, particularly because this country is a relatively new player in the international tourism arena and this sector is becoming increasingly competitive.
It is clear that Guyana’s tourism sector has huge potential with only a fraction of it tapped so far and more aggressive and innovative marketing could see it growing quickly.
Secretary-General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), Mr. Hugh Riley, has noted that “Guyana is a natural magnet for travellers who want to do more than just fly in and flop down; the country is blessed with a wealth of attributes waiting to be enjoyed by virtually anyone seeking a unique and enriching vacation experience.”
In this regard, Guyana’s foreign missions perhaps need to be more proactive as they could do quite a lot of work to help market the tourism products which are unique in many respects.
Tourism is one of the world’s fastest growing industries as well as the major source of foreign exchange earning and employment for many developing countries.
The efforts must be stepped up to ensure Guyana attracts a bigger slice of the international pie.