WORK at the Tourism Ministry is set to pick up pace with the recent appointment of Donald Sinclair as the Director-General.Sinclair, who assumed duties on October 1, was functioning in Suriname as a Director at the Suriname College of Hospitality and Tourism prior to his appointment. The Director-General, who is no stranger to the tourism industry, had served as Special Assistant to the late Minister of Tourism Michael Shree Chan. He also served as Executive Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) under the stewardship of former Tourism Minister, Manzoor Nadir and was also named Coordinator for Tourism and Transport at the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation in Brasilia.

Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes announced Sinclair’s appointment during a press conference last Thursday at her ministry at Colgrain House, Camp Street. She also disclosed that the Tourism Ministry’s five-year strategic plan is slated to be completed by April 2016.

NATIONAL TOURISM POLICY

Hughes said the plan, which is being crafted at present, is in keeping with the ministry’s mandate to design and implement a national tourism policy that will move the industry forward. Existing policies and researched information are being reviewed at the moment.
“We want to go through, read and assess it [data] so when we create this strategic plan, we have a policy and we have a road map for Guyana going forward, initially for the first five years.”

Minister Hughes also used the opportunity to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Tourism Ministry and those of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA).
It was explained that in addition to developing a National Tourism Policy, the Tourism Ministry is responsible for regional and international cooperation, the establishment of strategic marketing policy, budget coordination, training and education, and most importantly tourism-investment facilitation.

On the other hand, the GTA continues to focus on human resource development and training, research and data-collection, the monitoring of standards and regulations within the industry, among others.

In addition to differentiating the Tourism Ministry from GTA, Hughes also used the opportunity to update the press on her recent visit to Suriname where she paid a courtesy call on her Surinamese counterpart, Rusland Andojo. At the time she was en route to the final leg of Nereid’s Yachting Rally in French Guiana.
During that visit on October 2, the two ministers had an in-depth discussion on the plethora of opportunities that can foster the growth of tourism in the Guianas Shield.
She conveyed Guyana’s desire to work in close collaboration with Suriname and French Guiana to collectively promote the tourism industries in the Guianas and to market their destinations under the umbrella of the historic Guianas Shield. The various areas of cooperation that exist, including the vast potential for visitor exchanges and for jointly marketing the Shield as a multi-destination tour package, were among areas discussed.
The newly appointed Director General and GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh were also present at the press conference.

 
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