WITH Guyana now set firmly on the path towards development, its tourism sector stands to reap tremendous benefits, Tourism Minister Catherine Hughes has said.Though the country is still in its infancy when compared to its neighbours in the Caribbean, the Tourism Minister is comforted by the fact that the country’s product is uniquely different, and has the potential to attract a sea of tourists in search of a great vacation experience.

“While Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent, The Bahamas and islands in the Eastern Caribbean offer white sandy beaches, sun and Caribbean-flavoured hotels, Guyana appeals to adventurers, to lovers of nature, to birding and wildlife aficionados,” Minister Hughes said in a press statement ahead of World Tourism Day which was observed on Sunday, September 27.

She pointed out that unlike its neighbours, Guyana’s territory is lush with thousands of varieties of colourful vegetation, some of the largest living untamed creatures and hundreds of species of winged beings that themselves add a different kaleidoscope of colour to the forests, some of which are still pristine and carefully preserved.

“This is our product – eco-tourism – that attracts adventure seekers to the dense jungles. They revel in the numerous meandering rivers, tributaries and creeks and are awestruck by the rolling savannahs and the tiered and thundering waterfalls that dot the hinterland. Bird watchers who indulge for the sheer pleasure of it and those who search the world to find new species have found Guyana to be a haven.”

VISIONARY ENTREPRENEURS

In capitalising on Guyana’s natural beauty, visionary entrepreneurs are successfully operating innovative nature resorts that provide a constantly changing repertoire of nature tours. These include cycling along paths through the jungle, rafting or canoeing down the brown rivers – some as smooth as finished glass, others fast-flowing on the approaches to waterfalls, and getting a rare bird’s eye view of the forest canopy from the walkway in the Iwokrama Conservation reserve.

Hughes gave a reminder that the tourism industry has dual responsibility to contribute to the socio-economic development and simultaneously assist as the renewal driver of the country’s aesthetics. On the socio-economic front, it was explained that this industry presents numerous opportunities for citizens to create income-generating tourism-related businesses with the added incentive of creating jobs.

CARE ENVIRONMENT
“Our success with community tourism initiatives in places like Surama and Rockstone is testimony to the national potential for economic growth. On the environmental front, we recognise that a clean, manicured environment in town and hinterland is equally important to the tourist’s experiences which s/he subsequently communicates to the world. As such, every citizen bears some responsibility for the care of their environment.”

RE-BRANDING
In November 2014, the Tourism Ministry through the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) launched a new marketing strategy with the aim of boosting the country’s global visibility under the brand ‘Guyana – South America Undiscovered’. Re-branding and marketing Guyana throughout the broad international tourist market can only bring us great benefits, she emphasised.

This year, World Tourism Day was observed under the international theme: ‘One Billion Tourists – One Billion Opportunities’. This theme, developed by the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), was premised on the undeniable fact that billions of people cross borders in search of new experiences and new exotic sights, for rest and relaxation, to renew friendships, to reconnect with loved ones, and often in search of ingredients to boost their business ventures.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
“A significant number of nature lovers have already discovered Guyana, a gem under the equatorial sun, and they are spreading the word across the globe from South Africa to Australia, across the Middle East to Scandanavia and Europe, from Alaska to Texas,” Hughes added, noting too that the country’s brand of tourism has already attracted television documentary producers of the ilk of National Geographic (USA).
“Over the past year, ‘Destination Guyana’ was featured in the television hit series “Naked and Afraid” in the BBC television film “Britain’s Secret Slave Owners”, and in the Blue Paw documentary “The Source of the Essequibo”. The world’s leading news producer, CNN, featured Guyana in its production of “Big Earth – 101 Amazing Adventures of the World”. In addition, Guyana was featured in National Geographic’s “Best Trips 2014” and named in the American TV Special “Animal Planet”, the Tourism Minister said as she reflected on the major achievements made within the sector.