IT WOULD undoubtedly have been most encouraging for the Guyana Government and the Tourism Authority to learn of the ringing endorsements of this country’s policy and programmes on the pursuit of an enlightened sustainable tourism strategy as emerged from last week’s 13th annual conference of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) which was hosted at the Guyana International Centre.
Though commendable strides have been made over the years—thanks to all those partners in the private sector for their shared vision and commitment—in the development of the local tourism industry, ours is still a fledgling effort in comparison to the impact of the tourism sector that has such a dominant profile in the so-called “tourism countries” of the Caribbean.
However, it is in the specific area of “sustainable tourism” in particular that Guyana continues to make its mark among nations of the Caribbean Community, to the extent that, as officially  recognised by last week’s CTO conference, this country is now being  held up as a “model” in the region’s tourism sector.
For the  CTO’s Secretary General, Hugh Riley, in addressing delegates, “Guyana, more than most of the member countries, is a model for managing the principles that we have been debating over these past few days: the issue of being careful stewards of our precious resources and keeping the right balance…
“Guyana’s work in the area of preservation of the environment  and responsible use of resources is exemplary”, he said. Riley believes  that along with the efforts  being pursued by several member states, the Caribbean region “can lead the world in demonstrating how to reduce one’s carbon footprint…”
Similar sentiments were also expressed by Senator Richard Skerrit, Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Commissioners of Tourism of the CTO, who is also St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport. He noted  that Guyana’s accomplishment was the result of “a deliberate decision by the leadership of this country to stand up and be counted in the global fight against the vast extremes of climate change and, of course, lead by example….”
Such commendation for Guyana would have been quite pleasing for former President Bharrat Jagdeo who was a special guest to  address  the three-day conference. The former Head of State’s, visionary leadership had given effect to Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) that was to result in the much applauded, regionally and internationally, of the government’s partnership with Norway that is the primary funding source for this strategy.
Now engaged in international efforts to promote climate change as an integral component in social and economic development, he urged the CTO’s delegates to lean on their governments to become more actively involved in  advancing policies and programmes to battle the effects of climate change.
We must await to learn how the CTO, as the umbrella organisation of 33 countries, succeeds in gaining the support of its member countries to become much more involved in fostering “sustainable tourism” focused on the phenomenon of climate change.
Perhaps by the time of the 14th sustainable tourism CTO conference scheduled for 2013  in Trinidad and Tobago,  there should be more encouraging news forthcoming across the region.