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This is according to Acting Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Irfaan Ali, made the assertion in April as he addressed scores of small hotels owners from across Guyana at a meeting held to discuss marketing strategies to propel the industry forward.
During that engagement, Ali noted that the key to achieving and maintaining high occupancy in the smaller establishments was in creating linkages and designing a marketing plan to help drive traffic to the destination.
“The time has come to make our ideas work, and to formulate a plan for the small hotels,” he declared.
The drive to support local businesses has been strengthened by Ali’s pledge to work along with the small hotels in an effort to boost occupancy, and there have already been reports of smaller establishments operating at full capacity, particularly as ties are strengthened with operators in Suriname.
Over the last few months, more that 600 Surinamese and Dutch tourists arrived in Guyana on excursions organised by the Garage De Eenheid Tour Company of Suriname, and this particular tour company, owned and operated by V. Premnauth, has been collaborating with the Tourism Ministry and has been bringing over 100 visitors in Guyana on a weekly basis.
Given this reality and the success of past partnerships, Minister Ali has pledged to further cement this and other such relationships, to increase arrivals from Suriname by an additional 500 per month.
Occupancy Boosted
In Guyana, the visitors utilize the services of the smaller hotels, which offer attractive rates. These include the Kanuku Suites, Signature Inn, Holiday Inn, and Brittany’s Hotel. “We do receive a lot of guests coming from Suriname as part of the tours organised by Mr. Premnauth. On an average, when these guests are here, we operate at 100% occupancy. They do not stay long, but while they are here they contribute to about 60% of our occupancy rate.
“We would, however, like them to stay longer periods,” explained Ms. Natasha Persaud, owner of Signature Inn in Queenstown, Georgetown.
She noted that plans to increase to nearly 500 the number of visitors arriving from Suriname on a monthly basis is indeed a welcome initiative.
Meanwhile, Manager of Kanuku Suites, Ms. Soma Singh, also lauded the efforts of the Government to partner with the smaller hotel establishments, as this, she said, will indeed “help to boost and maintain our occupancy rates.”
“We are currently operating at 100% occupancy, thanks to the Surinamese. As such, we welcome guests from Suriname on a weekly basis. We do our best to give them the most competitive rates to satisfy their needs. We would definitely welcome the additional influx,” Singh continued.
While in Guyana, the Dutch guests also stay at the Holiday Inn and Brittany’s Hotel, which are among the smaller hotels in Georgetown.
With many events on the horizon, including GuyExpo 2013, the Rockstone Fish Festival, Diwali and Motor Racing, Sami Yusuf and the R. Kelly Concert, it is anticipated that Guyana would see an influx of visitors from Suriname and around the world; and the benefits to be derived would be immeasurable, not only for Guyana, but to every Guyanese in terms of transportation, fuel, hotels, restaurants and generated sales.
