TOURISM Awareness Month was launched yesterday under the theme “Growing the Business of Tourism through Product Innovation”, with this country aiming to raise awareness of its tourism potential and significance of its economic growth.Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes, currently participating in the World Travel Market in London, said the theme reflects what the Ministry of Tourism embodies as a priority at this stage of Guyana’s development. “That is, the need to transform our various tourism products: eco-tourism; adventure tourism; community-based tourism; heritage, sports, fishing, bird watching, entertainment, agriculture and arts tourism, into innovative, marketable, revenue-earning businesses that could sustain themselves and grow branch by branch.”

Minister Hughes exhorted: “Tourism is big business the world over, and Guyana will benefit in every positive way. Throughout the month of November, the Ministry and all its satellite organisations will be showcasing Guyana’s potential to earn from our gifts.”

Underscoring that this initiative began when Guyana’s tourism product was re-branded as “Guyana – South America Undiscovered”, Minister Hughes said this new approach embraces the widest range of actors from all across Guyana, and requires an aggressive marketing strategy that brings thousands more -– millions, if necessary — of the world’s one billion tourists to these shores in search of exotic and diverse cultural spots.

Noting that it’s the Ministry’s ultimate objective to attract tourists from the First World to fill hotel/B&B rooms; to sample our uniquely Guyanese cuisine; to learn about the ordinary people’s ways of life from well-informed taxi drivers and boat captains; to purchase our eclectic art and craft and visit our hinterland resorts, Ms Hughes said the bottom line will always be to create the circumstances for investors to receive returns commensurate with their investments.

“Guyanese must not doubt the fact that our tourism products are above par. Our blend of tourism products is as rich and as attractive as any in any part of the world. Small countries, large countries, small islands and large continents have been earning billions of dollars from their own brand of tourism, attracting people who simply wish to experience other cultures — people who are avid bird watchers; those who revel in adrenaline-fuelled events, such as climbing up and under the outcroppings behind waterfalls like our Kaieteur; those who are fascinated by rare fauna, like the jaguar or the giant anteater; those who prefer treks through dense rainforests, and who emerge with captured images the likes of which they have never seen before,” the Tourism Minister explained.

She emphasised that the importance and significance of tourism to the national purse and to our people cannot be overstated. “It’s so vital that our government saw it necessary to separate Tourism from the previous Ministry of Industry and Commerce and give it its own domain; and there’s more.

“The President has introduced what is known as Economic Diplomacy, which simply means that every Guyanese Mission overseas is being staffed with Tourist Development officers and Investment officers whose responsibility will be to promote and efficiently market our country’s attributes and our products to their host countries.”

The main objective, Minister Hughes said, is to substantially enhance the visibility of Guyana; ‘sell’ the attractiveness of this country and our people, our multi-cultures; (and sell) our capacity to stage international events in motor racing, boxing and other sports; musical entertainment, fashion and culinary extravaganzas that are by themselves tourism niches with their own defined programmes.

She underscored that tourism is known as an exciting service industry that appeals to the fast-paced world of curious people who need instant gratification. “We did, in the past, attract some numbers to our safaris and FAM trips, but now the new ministry is flipping the script. Aggressive marketing is our channel of communication. We’re targeting the people from Turkey and Greece, who have no clue that South America has an English-speaking country that sits right on the Atlantic. We’re selling our Tourism products to the adventurers in Switzerland and Budapest, who jump at a chance for exhilarating experiences in the wild rapids of the Cuyuni River, or early morning adventures through the damp, cold rainforests on the Pakaraima mountains.

“We are firmly on the road to restoring the city of Georgetown and adding to the list of traditional tourism products,” Minister Hughes asserted.