Government investing heavily to support continued tourism growth
THE Government of Guyana has recognised the importance and potential of the tourism sector, in terms of its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and, as such, has been investing heavily to support the continued growth of the industry.
This pronouncement was made by  Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh, as he sought to respond to a Kaieteur News article, captioned ‘Money Government Invests in Tourism Miniscule’, published on Monday, December 12.
He explained: “Government’s mandate is to conduct generic destination marketing and we have seen significant improvements and results… they also create the enabling environment and facilitate the sector at travel shows…”
In addition to this, there has also been massive investment for the development of the necessary infrastructure to support the industry, in several key areas, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), One Laptop Per Family (OLPF), Amaila Falls Hydro Project, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion and the Marriott Hotel, Haralsingh said.
He noted, too, that, the Tourism Industry contributes significantly to the GDP of the Caribbean and other South American destinations and their tourism budgets reflect this fact.
Alluding to Guyana’s role in this regard, Haralsingh said: “Guyana’s Tourism Budget has been gradually increasing and we have been receiving good value for money and seen tangible results from this investment. We are optimistic that tourism will continue to grow and expand.”
Regarding the GTA’s role in regulating the tourism industry, he emphasised that regulations and standards are important and critical to the ministry, as well.
“The ministry and the GTA have adopted a soft approach to the implementation to cushion the impact of the world recession and financial crisis. Now that the sector and economy have survived and are growing, we can expect full implementation in 2012,” the GTA Director stated.
He said the primary areas where regulations would be applied are accommodation establishments, tour operators, interior resorts and lodges and tour guides.
Haralsingh called on all stakeholders to forge partnerships and collaborate to collectively strive to make Guyana the destination of choice, noting that the industry has the potential to transform the country.