RE-DISCOVER Home is the message of this year’s Tourism Awareness Month, launched on Oct 31 at the Mangrove Visitors Centre at Cove and John on the East Coast of Demerara.

Government has designated Tourism a priority sector with the potential to contribute significantly to the economy through foreign exchange earnings, investment opportunities and job creation.

In brief remarks to the audience, President Donald Ramotar said his government believes that tourism is “not just an appendage”, but that it can “become an important growth pole in (Guyana’s) economy”.

He also urged stakeholders to pursue new tourism opportunities within South America, while sustaining and expanding their North American markets.

And in remarks to the audience, Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali revealed that President Ramotar has instructed that he should aggressively advance Guyana’s tourism product within the next few years.
To realize this, however, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) must work together, the Minister said, as Guyana’s cause cannot be advanced from an individual perspective, but rather through teamwork.
For this cause, he sees THAG and GTA as partners, with common goals and objectives in the drive to further Guyana’s tourism potential.
Minister Ali added that the President has directed his Ministry to consult extensively with the stakeholders of the sector within the next three weeks, as the government moves towards finalizing preparations for Budget 2013.

Ali assured the gathering that he would aggressively represent their interests in budget discussions, even as he embraced the opportunity to thank the diplomatic community for its assistance in furthering Guyana’s tourism product.

Ali said his Ministry is very pleased with the response and support that the missions have given to the Tourism sector. He also highlighted several initiatives undertaken by the sector as it seeks to secure its future. Those initiatives include sport, brand development and strategic advertising, bilateral agreements, and community-based tourism.

The Mangrove Visitors Centre, where the launch was held, is an excellent example of local community-based tourism. This centre hosts the Mangrove Heritage Trail tour villages along the East Coast of Demerara. It currently employs 9 tourist guides, 4 horse cart operators, 4 drummers, 5 folk song singers and 52 women, many of whom are single parents; and the facility has seen more than 1,800 tourists and 8000 students so far visiting. This initiative won the Tourism and Hospitality of Guyana Environmental Award in 2011, and the Caribbean Tourism Organization Biodiversity Conservation Award in 2012.

Other initiatives undertaken are a standing offer to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) to build an international sustainable development institute geared directly at tourism in Guyana attracting international students.
Minister Ali said, too, that Guyana has successfully negotiated with American game shows The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune to see competitors on the shows win trips to Guyana. He revealed that the GTA has also written to the West Indies Cricket Board seeking permission to host two 20/20 cricket matches here from December 15 – 18. GTA is awaiting a response.

Discussions are also ongoing to see Guyana/St. Lucia and Guyana/Barbados being marketed as common tourist destinations.

Tourism Awareness Month continues to the end of November.