The Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce , Hon. Mohamed Irfaan Ali

ON the occasion of the celebration of World Tourism Day, celebrated annually on September 27th across the world, the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce would like to call attention to strides made in Guyana to advance Community Based Tourism (CBT), in keeping with this year’s theme – ‘Tourism and Community Development’.The purpose of these celebrations is to spread awareness across the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.
The events that mark this day, seek to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism industry can make in reaching these goals.
The Government has constantly been encouraging its populace to embrace the concept of community tourism, as we are optimistic that it can bring in substantial revenue to boost their economies.
One of the benefits of CBT is that tourism dollars go directly into the communities to assist with development and conservation in the region.
A five–year Hinterland Tourism Development Plan, which was initiated in 2013, focuses on tourism opportunities, economic, social and environmental benefits, culture and heritage preservation, investment opportunities and training within specific areas.
Through marketing, Amerindian villages and other communities across Guyana are promoted as adventure, eco and culture destinations via film and television productions, and through publications such as sport fishing and birding where viewership and readership are wide.
Some communities like the Rewa Eco-Lodge, Maipiama Eco Lodge and Surama Eco Lodge, are owned and managed by villagers, and are model examples of community-based tourism projects, which offers tourists an amazing experience with nature.
The community members are directly involved in the decision making process and are given the chance to become part of the tourism value chain; they are a crucial element of the tourism product and play a key role in the development and delivery of this product.

Consequently, Tourism becomes a catalyst of social cohesion, going beyond the immediate impact of job creation and its positive economic consequences. We recognise that Tourism plays an integral role in the development of our country, and as Guyana continues to gain international attention through its unique diverse blend of cultures, efforts are being made to expand Community Based Tourism and to ensure that more communities benefit from this drive.
Guyana has also been on the progressive frontier of advancing our eco-tourism product and has been the most outstanding sustainable tourism destination in the Region several years in succession; this year the country received an honourable mention at the CTO Travel Mole awards for Rewa.
World Tourism Day, celebrated every year on 27th September, is a global observance to highlight tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value.
WTD 2014 is being held under the theme Tourism and Community Development – focusing on the ability of tourism to empower people and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities.