….and the Administration will take the lead in cleaning up the city, says President Ramotar THE Administration will continue to support Guyana’s emerging tourism sector, which can be used as a tool for integration within the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), through the establishment of critical links and packages to promote the diversity of the Region.
The event was held under the theme, “Building Partnerships for the future of Guyana Tourism” and was aimed at recognising the contributions and commitment of members of the sector and partners, to the sustainable development and promotion of the tourism industry.
President Donald Ramotar , made this announcement Saturday evening, while addressing scores of  industry stakeholders  gathered at  the  the Princess Hotel, at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara, for the Tourism and Hospitality  Association of Guyana (THAG) annual President’s Awards Dinner, where stakeholders are recognised for their stellar contributions to the growth of the tourism sector over the past year.
The event was held under the theme, “Building Partnerships for the future of Guyana Tourism”, and was aimed at recognising the contributions and commitment of members of the sector and partners to the sustainable development and promotion of the tourism industry.
The president reminded the audience that Guyana has for a very long time advocated integration within the Caribbean Region.
Alluding to the importance of integration, he said, “We need integration for us to build society and make it stronger, and we need to use the growing tourism industry to establish links with other countries, to develop new packages, and a diversified type of tourism to attract outsiders to appreciate the diversity of the Region.
According to the president, instead of focusing on the shortcomings and difficulties on the road to integration, the time has come to focus on aspects such as tourism that will promote this aim.
President Ramotar reassured of government’s support for the expansion of the country’s tourism sector, which, he acknowledged, is a burgeoning industry poised for take-off.
In this regard, he encouraged all stakeholders to join in overcoming some of the impediments, including the current state of the capital city, which poses a threat to the development of the industry
He explained, “This charming city, with beautiful architecture, is not in the state that we would want it to be to attract tourists. I want to assure you that the government will take the lead to get the city cleaned up so that it can reflect the beauty that it has… we have to find a permanent solution and I am hoping that once we can work together and share the same interest , we can return it to the Garden City once again.”
The keynote speaker for the evening was the CEO of REDJet, Ian Burns, who also underscored the importance of integration to the overall success of tourism in the Caribbean, and pointed  out that this  will bring economic prosperity and social benefits to the entire Region, “the likes of which has never been experienced.”
He used the opportunity to acknowledge that, as the organisation in charge of bringing about political and social integration, CARICOM faces many difficult challenges in achieving this.
In highlighting some of the challenges to integration, he said, “The resistance to integration based on national bias is disappointing; it is unacceptable that any CARICOM state denies access to any CARICOM citizen; it is also in breach of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that any CARICOM state denies access to any business; but regrettably this [is]commonplace. The regional passport policy as set out in the treaty is for the provision of adequate, safe and international transport services for the development and consolidation of the CSME.”
Open Skies Agreement
The CEO said that one element of achieving CARICOM goals would be the creation of an open skies agreements.
In this regard, he said that Guyana, through its support of REDjet, has done the entire Region a huge service, and is now well-placed to use this position to champion integration and, in particular, the open skies agenda.
Alluding to the need for such an agreement, Burns stated, “The reality is that as soon as another carrier arrived, protectionism raised its ugly head. Some governments appear to be more favourable of what they can see as a relinquishing of sovereignty than being inspired by the huge benefits. For REDjet, open skies mean connecting family and friends, growing business of any size, growing economies, supporting Regional sports competitions and more.”
He said too that an open skies agreement will also ensure that the airline keeps on providing low fares to the driving force behind the airline, the consumer.
The REDjet CEO recognised that Guyana is in a unique position to develop its product, and applauded those present for acknowledging the importance of the industry and bringing key players together.
He announced that his company will be partnering with the Ministry of Tourism here and stakeholders to launch another initiative which will see some 500 visitors arriving in the country.
“This will be the start of a tourist initiative  that will see Guyana really putting itself on the map, and  I am happy to join with any effort to promote tourism in Guyana and the Region ,” Burns said.
After the addresses, THAG President Paul Stephenson announced the names of the awardees in the various categories.
Among the awardees were Rewa Eco Lodge for Outstanding Resort of the Year; Pandama Wines for Best New Product; and Demerara Distillers Limited for its sponsorship of THAG.