‘It is now the South’s turn’
President Granger(6th from left)poses with tourism delegates from the Caribbean, Central America and North America during a meeting in Guyana to discuss resilience-building in the tourism sector of the Americas (photo by Samuel Maughn)
President Granger(6th from left)poses with tourism delegates from the Caribbean, Central America and North America during a meeting in Guyana to discuss resilience-building in the tourism sector of the Americas (photo by Samuel Maughn)

…President upbeat about South America’s tourism potential
…says climate-resilient tourism will help hemisphere recover from natural hazards

TOURISM heavyweights from across the Americas are meeting here to discuss regional connectivity, business alliances and resilient strategies for sustainable tourism at the 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism.

The two-day conference kicked off at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday under the theme, ‘Connecting the Americas through Sustainable Tourism’ and delegates heard remarks from President David Granger and other heads of government.

The conference is a joint collaboration between the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Department of Tourism in the Ministry of Business.

Delivering the feature address, President David Granger said that the Americas, despite past wars of independence and civil wars, have managed to maintain a hemisphere of relative peace, permitting collaboration between member states for the perusal of sustainable tourism initiatives.

However, he acknowledged that even with these opportunities, transnational threats such as the trafficking of drugs, people and guns, as well as cybercrime must be completely eradicated in order for these societies to remain safe and welcoming for both citizens and visitors.

He then established that the protection of the Americas’ national capital; the promotion of increased connectivity and easier access to capital for investments are some of the ways through which member states of the OAS can harness the many benefits of tourism.
“Tourism connects countries, markets, peoples and services of the hemisphere. Tourism can contribute to the economic development of the Americas and to the well-being of future generations by becoming more sustainable. This congress is therefore urged to seek solutions to ensure that the Americas can catalyse their tourism potential by increasing annual tourist arrivals,” President Granger said.

President David Granger addresses the effects of climate change in the region of the Organization of American States (OAS) at the 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism held at the Marriott Hotel, yesterday (photo by Samuel Maughn)

The Guyanese leader took the opportunity in the presence of the OAS delegates, to introduce Guyana as a ‘gateway’ to South America for the travel of goods, services and peoples to destinations in the Caribbean, Central America and North America. Within the region, he called for travel expenses to be not only cheaper but easier and faster, and suggested that destinations require increased connectivity and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) strategies to boost the region’s competitiveness.

Climate change

Moving to the topic of climate change, the President said that it continues to pose harmful threats to tourism in the region, particularly to small islands and low-lying states and recommended climate-resilient tourism as a means to combatting these issues. “Rising sea levels are eroding beaches, destroying coral reefs and disrupting marine life…extreme weather patterns are precipitating droughts and floods, which diminish food supplies and customer services needed by the tourism sector. Climate-resilient tourism will help the hemisphere to recover from natural hazards… the 21st century must become the ‘Century of the South.’ The North and East have had their day. It is now the South’s turn. A sustainable tourism sector can make this century an occasion for rediscovering the ‘New’ world,” President Granger declared.

Greater cooperation
Speaking, too, was Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin who welcomed the OAS delegates and all attendees from within the region, while expressing his pride, on behalf of the country, to be the host of the high-level conference. He said that the conference would provide for fruitful discussions and greater cooperation in tourism between Guyana and other member states at both the public and private sector levels.

“Guyana certainly looks forward [to] improving and increasing partnerships for the promotion and expansion of tourism. It is my hope that we can build relations based on a mutual interest in providing new and exciting multi-destination packages. I hope, also, that our country can benefit from more and better air connections. Additionally, we’d like to expand and enhance the range of hinterland community-based tourism projects currently existing in our country,” Minister Gaskin said.

The business minister added that Guyana, as a “late comer” to the tourism industry, continues to pay close attention to the examples of other countries and will work towards achieving sustainable tourism as part of its strategic economic and development goals. In closing, he stressed that the future of tourism in the country is largely connected to the future of tourism in the Americas, and, with this in mind, Guyana will continue to demonstrate its support of the objectives of the OAS.

Eco-tourism destination
Meanwhile, applauding Guyana for its show of leadership in hosting the conference was Executive Secretary of Integral Development at the OAS, Kim Osborne, who said that the activity would also serve to highlight the country as an eco-tourism destination.

She went on to affirm that tourism is indeed expanding in the Americas, as its total contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 8.5 percent in 2016 while, for emerging destinations such as Guyana, the total contribution stood at 7.3 percent. As the region moves ahead, Osborne acknowledged that it is time for OAS member states to forge new business alliances, create well-defined policies, assess threats and possible threats, expand the regional dialogue and strengthen partnerships.

During the conference the OAS will launch a publication compiled in collaboration with the United Nations World Trade Organization (UN-WTO), which will highlight the good practices of tourism and sustainable development. Today, the 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism continues at the Marriott hotel, as more of the challenges and opportunities native to the region are expected to be discussed.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.