THE Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) has endorsed initiatives by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote tourism and investment in Guyana via the launching of Diaspora Units in the various overseas missions.

In a Tourism Awareness Month message, Senior Official of THAG, Daniel Gajie  said that the theme of the Association is : “Re-Discover  Home” and added  that the Association recognises that approximately 70% of visitors annually to Guyana comprise the members of the  Diaspora (first and second generation)  from across the  world.
He said: “Second generation Guyanese are proud and keen to learn of their parents ‘place of birth and have been the impetus to many reunions and  family visits, some after 20years of being away from Guyana”.
Gajie observed that these visitors return home from North America, Caribbean, Europe and extended territories for their annual vacation.
The connection to the nostalgia of home is unmistakable; the food, the culture, camaraderie of family, long lost friends and place of birth.”
He said that THAG welcomes these travellers and is encouraging tourism operators to develop packages and devise promotions to persuade them to visit local resorts during their stay here.
“Such initiatives as this (the diaspora unit) and the events proposed for the new year by the Ministry of Tourism and the GTA in collaboration with the members of THAG are commendable efforts that will guarantee information reaches the  Guyanese population in those  territories,” Gajie noted.
He said that the Association will  support the Government to promote  Guyana within these marketplaces as  part of the 2013 programme, promoting travel to Guyana as well as hosting  informative sessions with key stakeholder groups when in those locations.
Gajie reiterated that the Association joins with the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce and the Guyana Tourism Authority to celebrate Tourism Awareness Month.
He stressed: “It is during this period that we recognize the contributions of our stakeholders within the sector, host informative discussion sessions and highlight development within the industry. More importantly, it is about creating awareness for the citizenry at large of the value of tourism and the importance of the environment to the country.”