SPEAKING at a press conference yesterday at the Guyana Tourism Authority’s (GTA) boardroom, President of the GTA, Indranauth Haralsingh, noted that making the Lethem airstrip an access point for regional travel will be beneficial for tourism and Guyana as a whole. Haralsingh noted that as Guyana strives to be a hub for regional transportation, there will be greater need for access points or airports in Guyana.

He noted that Lethem, which is located in Region 9, is one of the most strategic areas in terms of trading in Guyana. Lethem has one of the largest runways in Guyana, and is second only to the one at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), he said.
Haralsingh noted that such a huge runway should be converted in such a way that there could be both international and regional flights in and out of Guyana.
He further stated that “the Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn and the Government are committed to building an airport facility at the Lethem airstrip by next year.”
BENEFITS OF AIRPORT
The GTA’s director stated that currently there are no direct flights to and from Brazil, and when converted the Lethem airstrip will open opportunities to make these flights a possibility.
Haralsingh added that northern Brazil has been looking to locate markets in Guyana for a while now and the implementing of the airport facility at Lethem will allow for more communication and transportation of goods and services between the two countries.
Apart from Brazil, he noted that there could also be other flights from Europe and other South American countries, thereby allowing Guyana’s tourism industry to expand.