THE upcoming General and Regional Elections on Monday, November 28, are not expected to have a negative impact on the arrivals for the Christmas season.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad made the prediction during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, during which he sought to address concerns raised over the effect of the polls, especially with the holidays less than a month away. “Despite the fact that elections are days away, the country continues to register a steady tourist arrival rate. From what we are seeing, so far, I do not expect that the upcoming General Elections will have a negative impact on arrivals to the country for the Christmas holidays,” he reiterated.
In fact, Prashad said negotiations are underway with Delta and Caribbean Airlines to include additional flights to Guyana.
“If you make a check, you will discover that after the 15th of December, flights coming to Guyana are filled. I think we have good governance and the elections itself will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner,” he posited.
Prashad also explained that, based upon feedback from members of the business community, the fact that the 2011 elections are mere weeks before Christmas has not deterred them, in any way, from making preparations for one of the busiest times of the year.
“I think that we will have a very bright Christmas and based on the business people, they are well stocked for Christmas, so we can all look forward to a great holiday this year,” the Tourism Minister assured.
Guyana’s tourism industry has experienced a successful year through a diversified range of activities, including sport fishing, bird watching, sports, meetings and conferences and, wildlife tourism.
This was also the year in which Guyana achieved the highest percentage (6.7 percent) increase in arrivals among the Caribbean Tourism Organisations (CTO) 34 member countries.
Minister Prashad remains optimistic that Guyana will achieve this figure in 2011 as the country is on par with arrivals up to September.