…says overseas-based businessman

CANADIAN-based Guyanese, Bhaskar Sharma, who is the Publisher of ‘Equality News’ in Ontario, has commended Guyana’s ‘many beautiful world class Tourism publications’ but is worried that it is not widely circulated in Canada and further afield.

The publications are the work of the Guyana Tourism Authority and contending that much more could be done to sell Guyana’s tourism product overseas, Sharma is advocating for the establishment of a Tourism Board by Guyana in Toronto. With this done, he believes travellers would be afforded easy access to information about Guyana’s vast and amazing tourism product.

In Canada there are 35,000 Guyanese living in Ontario alone and for main-stream Canadians wanting to know more about Guyana, he says there is little information on Guyana’s tourism product, with the diaspora being literally starved of this vital information.
“I have seen over the years, many beautiful world class tourism publications here, we have in Ontario Canada, over 5,000 travel agencies, and none of this publication, or very little, is available at these travel agencies, which is sad, very sad,” Sharma told the Guyana Chronicle during an exclusive interview while on a visit here recently.

This he said leaves one to wonder whether these publications are designed to reach only the advertisers here (in Guyana).
“While I am not knocking down the publication, and I applaud the great effort in terms of its quality and classiness, it must be drawn to the attention of officials that when the tourism product in Guyana is advertised, it is not reaching the diaspora. Is it therefore only for the eyes and ears of players locally?”

Extending a hand of friendship and co-operation, the renowned newspaper publisher of 36 years, reiterated that the establishment of a Tourism Board in Ontario by Guyana, or a message in the Equality News, which has 1.4 million HITS every week, is much more effective in the diaspora than at home.

By the same token, the publisher of the Equality Newspaper is calling on President David Granger and the Guyana Tourism Authority to consider this economically viable proposal.
“When Equality Newspaper can reach all the travel agencies and over 3,500 outlets and distribution areas that we have in Metro-Toronto, and beyond, in Ontario, it’s time that His Excellency perhaps, takes a second look at the abovementioned.”

He said that even with such diversity in Metro-Toronto, 108 different speaking peoples and so many publications; Equality remains the only voice to keep the diaspora informed. But while they have been attempting to fill that niche, Sharma admitted that there is not much that the Equality staff can tell people, about Guyana’s vast tourism potential.

In the meantime, Equality has already done six tourism videos for Guyana and brought its production “Guyana Now: The Renaissance”, filmed by the Discover Your World Team, to Guyana for the fifth time. While it is effective, it is also very expensive, Sharma outlined, making a point for the establishment of a Tourism Board.
“It’s being done by other Caribbean countries such as Jamaica, Trinidad, St. Lucia and others which are reaping tremendous benefits,” he outlined.

Meanwhile, the Guyana/Canada businessman is making a generous offer, in order to jump start the initiative by providing an office for the first year. Asked whether he has put forward such a proposal to the Guyana Tourism Authority, the businessman said he has plans to do so.

Asked how soon he is prepared to back this initiative, Sharma declared, “As early as the President feels it is necessary. I think it is just a little embarrassing when main stream Canadians looking for information of Guyana’s tourism product, discover it cannot be easily had.”

He said, while it is important to reflect the news of crime, it is more important to show development. Sharma has been publisher of the Equality Newspaper in Ontario Canada for about the last 36 years, having commenced publishing in 1980. The publication which can be reached on www.EqualityNews.ca has grown from eight to 40 pages.