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The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has reported a 12.6 % increase in its annual visitor arrivals over 2011, effectively placing the country ahead of other countries within the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO). This is heartening news, particularly in light of the difficult global financial situation.
According to the Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh: “Despite challenges, notably the falling out of Red-Jet and EZ-Jet, the Tourism sector performed extremely well in 2012.”
Other challenges he cited during the reporting period were: A worldwide economic crisis; spiralling food prices; instability; airline consolidation and bankruptcy; challenges with high fuel prices, and the concomitant high travel costs, making it difficult for our local people to explore the wonders of Guyana.
However, despite all the difficulties experienced, the sector was able to come out on top, and this, Haralsingh said, was largely due to the durability and resilience shown by the sector; and the collaboration, hard work, dedication and passion of the tour operators, travel agents and stakeholders in the travel industry, particularly between the public and private sectors.
In this regard, therefore, all stakeholders and players in the local tourism sector should be commended for a job well done and it is hoped that this extremely positive trend will continue as we are still to unlock the huge potential of our tourism sector. If and when this potential is unlocked it is likely that the tourism sector could rival or even surpass the major contributors to our national economy. The tourism road ahead for us is indeed an exciting and optimistic one, but in order for us to fully develop it there are several prerequisites and measures that must be implemented. One of them of course is the restoration of our capital city to its glory days of being a” Garden City” which has been repeatedly alluded to by both the stakeholders in the tourism sector as well as non-stakeholders.
Despite the laudable efforts at promoting our tourism products, we still need to continue doing so more aggressively and expansively, because we need to attract more visitors outside of the Guyanese diaspora. At the moment the bulk of our visitors are from the latter.
For example, when one travels internationally you will see on aircraft lots of magazines, brochures and other publications promoting the blue water and white sand beaches and historical and entertainment sites of Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados,The Bahamas etc., but you hardly come across anything about Guyana’s tourist sites and products. But the fact is we have comparable alternatives to the blue waters and white sandy beaches and much more, not least our unique flora and fauna, rivers, mountains etc., that provide for eco-tourism and adventure tourism and in the near future the establishment of a specialty hospital will open the avenue for medical tourism.
One strategy to help promote our tourism could be the establishment of a tourism window at all our foreign diplomatic missions, if this has not already been done. These tourism windows should be equipped with all the tourism information required and be easily accessible and must be adequately staffed by people with the highest professional standards.
Of course, one of the arguments that would pop up is that in the context of Guyana, there will be the constraints of financial and human resources in the implementation of such a measure. But of course this could be countered by the old adage: “Where there is a will, there is a way.”
On this note, one of the approaches is finding the human resources by exploring the Guyanese Diaspora because, despite making foreign countries their homes, they are still willing to make contributions to the development of their homeland. In fact, many may be willing to do so on a voluntary basis if they are approached.
In the final analysis, while the establishment of tourism windows may be costly, it would be a wise investment because in the long term it will pay handsome dividends.
According to the Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh: “Despite challenges, notably the falling out of Red-Jet and EZ-Jet, the Tourism sector performed extremely well in 2012.”
Other challenges he cited during the reporting period were: A worldwide economic crisis; spiralling food prices; instability; airline consolidation and bankruptcy; challenges with high fuel prices, and the concomitant high travel costs, making it difficult for our local people to explore the wonders of Guyana.
However, despite all the difficulties experienced, the sector was able to come out on top, and this, Haralsingh said, was largely due to the durability and resilience shown by the sector; and the collaboration, hard work, dedication and passion of the tour operators, travel agents and stakeholders in the travel industry, particularly between the public and private sectors.
In this regard, therefore, all stakeholders and players in the local tourism sector should be commended for a job well done and it is hoped that this extremely positive trend will continue as we are still to unlock the huge potential of our tourism sector. If and when this potential is unlocked it is likely that the tourism sector could rival or even surpass the major contributors to our national economy. The tourism road ahead for us is indeed an exciting and optimistic one, but in order for us to fully develop it there are several prerequisites and measures that must be implemented. One of them of course is the restoration of our capital city to its glory days of being a” Garden City” which has been repeatedly alluded to by both the stakeholders in the tourism sector as well as non-stakeholders.
Despite the laudable efforts at promoting our tourism products, we still need to continue doing so more aggressively and expansively, because we need to attract more visitors outside of the Guyanese diaspora. At the moment the bulk of our visitors are from the latter.
For example, when one travels internationally you will see on aircraft lots of magazines, brochures and other publications promoting the blue water and white sand beaches and historical and entertainment sites of Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados,The Bahamas etc., but you hardly come across anything about Guyana’s tourist sites and products. But the fact is we have comparable alternatives to the blue waters and white sandy beaches and much more, not least our unique flora and fauna, rivers, mountains etc., that provide for eco-tourism and adventure tourism and in the near future the establishment of a specialty hospital will open the avenue for medical tourism.
One strategy to help promote our tourism could be the establishment of a tourism window at all our foreign diplomatic missions, if this has not already been done. These tourism windows should be equipped with all the tourism information required and be easily accessible and must be adequately staffed by people with the highest professional standards.
Of course, one of the arguments that would pop up is that in the context of Guyana, there will be the constraints of financial and human resources in the implementation of such a measure. But of course this could be countered by the old adage: “Where there is a will, there is a way.”
On this note, one of the approaches is finding the human resources by exploring the Guyanese Diaspora because, despite making foreign countries their homes, they are still willing to make contributions to the development of their homeland. In fact, many may be willing to do so on a voluntary basis if they are approached.
In the final analysis, while the establishment of tourism windows may be costly, it would be a wise investment because in the long term it will pay handsome dividends.
