AGRO-TOURISM is an innovative agricultural activity related to tourism and agriculture which has the capacity to create additional sources of income and employment, as well as the ability to diversify the tourism product and experience.

Guyana Tourism Authority Director, Indranauth Haralsingh expressed this view as he addressed the Agro-Tourism Seminar last Wednesday at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, as part of Caribbean Week of Agriculture activities in Guyana.
The GTA Director, who was delivering remarks on behalf of Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali, acknowledged that food security is critical for the survival of the Caribbean, and noted too that the growing international tourist arrivals will not only create opportunities for destinations, but will place additional pressures on them as well.

TOURIST DEPENDENT REGION
“The Caribbean being the most tourist dependent Region in the world and whose food importation bill is steadily rising needs to produce more food locally and also to import from within the Region. A tourist will consume at least three meals per day among other activities and there is a great opportunity and need for a food tourism strategy for the Region.”
Consequently, Haralsingh pointed to the role of agro-tourism in striking the balance between food production, and satisfying the needs of the visitors who travel to destinations to savour and sample local and indigenous foods.
“Global trends in dining and culinary experience, nutrition, health and wellness, climate change and green economies, etc. are fuelling growth in agro-tourism. Increasingly, tourists are seeking genuine experiences linked to local foods, culture and heritage and are willing to pay a premium price. This is a great opportunity for us in the Caribbean,” Haralsingh said.

FOOD SECURE GUYANA
On this note, the GTA Director spoke of Guyana’s “tremendous” potential for the development of agro-tourism, including farm-based tourism, eco agro-tourism, agro-heritage and agro-forestry, among others.
Alluding to this potential, he said: “The linkages and partnerships between our farmers and the visitors are strong as our locally produced foods and produce make its way to the menu and delightful meals served to our locals and visitors through our restaurants and hotels. The farm to the table linkage is strong here. Guyana is food secure.”
Haralsingh highlighted too that in Guyana, the linkages between the food production sector and tourism are high, unlike in other CTO member countries.
He used the forum to call on all stakeholders to focus on several key issues as they work towards developing a food strategy, and these include  highlighting the opportunities for investment – organic foods, agro-tourism attractions, value-added products, investing in training young farmers, knowledge sharing, research and development, providing incentives for the tourism industry to procure food locally and intra-regionally, and minimising the impact of farming activities on the environment, among others.

‘RESTAURANT WEEK’
In closing, he disclosed plans for the celebration of Tourism Awareness Month (TAM) in November and the hosting of a ‘Restaurant Week’ to highlight, celebrate and share locally produced food.
The week of activities will include training, standards development, quality initiatives, food safety and presentation, customer service and a mystery shop survey as well, he added.
The GTA Director complimented IICA and the CARICOM Secretariat for their work, vision, leadership and commitment to the development of agro- tourism in the Region.
“Developing a Caribbean–Pacific agro-tourism partnership is a great initiative as both Regions can share best practices and lessons learned in the promotion and development of agro-tourism. I wish the seminar success and I am optimistic that the Caribbean is poised to become the FOODIE destination of the world. The time to invest in agro-tourism is now.”
During the seminar, presentations were also made by Mr. George Alcee and Ms. Gail Henry, CTO Sustainable Tourism Product Specialists.