THE British High Commission on Monday evening hosted a debriefing session and reception for a group of European tour operators who have just completed a Familiarisation (Fam) trip to Guyana. Several additional distributors will now be selling Destination Guyana following this trip.
The familiarisation trip is the most proactive, cost effective tour, as it promotes Destination Guyana, and helps to expand sales and distribution. The Fam trip was organised by Wilderness Explorer, in collaboration with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Caribbean Airlines. The event was hosted at the British High Commissioner’s residence, Bel Air Gardens.
Among the highly regarded tour operators that took part were Exodus Travel, Into Latin America, Chameleon Worldwide, Kuoni, Happy Lama Travel, and Kabalebo (Suriname). Additionally, a senior member of Caribbean Airlines’ London Travel Office also took part.
There has been a 9% increase in the number of tourists who have visited Guyana thus far in 2013, following the 17% increase in 2012.
Wilderness Explorer has been organising familiarisation trips for several years. It brings together tourist agents and investments from around the world to showcase Guyana. These trips have been the driving factor in having companies feature tours to Guyana.
British High Commissioner Mr. Andrew Ayre said the United Kingdom has always been interested in Guyana and its economic development, and as such has been generously contributing money in development assistance to Guyana each year. This contribution also includes providing 15% of the money to the largest aid donor, the European Union.
Europe and North America remain Guyana’s largest trade and development partners, with in excess of more than 20 times more Guyanese exports going to developed markets than China and India combined. More than 75 percent of the tourists that visit Guyana come from the developed world.
GTA’s Director Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh complimented and congratulated Wilderness Explorers for putting together the trip, in partnership with Caribbean Airlines and other stakeholders.
He also said that it is recognised that a lot of the companies are not participating in the travel trade distribution system, and more of them are relying on direct marketing through the internet. He urged more tourism operators and resort owners to come onboard because the Fam trip will boost the tourism sector and achieve wonders for Guyana.
Haralsingh also acknowledged that one of the major problems for destination Guyana is its image. Guyana is not a very well-known or popular country, and many have not heard of it. However, the Fam trip will aid in this respect because most of the tour operators who participated in this trip were pleased, and when they return they will publish Guyana in their catalogues, which will be distributed to thousands.
The visitors were given a complete tour of the country, having spent nine days touring the different regions. They were able to experience the beautiful rainforest, visit the Roy Geddes museum, traverse the Iwokrama canopy walkway, and savour the beauty of Rewa, Rock View, and of course, the majestic Kaieteur falls.
