A sample of our homeland for the world to see

IN 2012, with the burning desire to spend quality time nurturing her newborn, Stacey Dos Santos Rahaman knew she had to get creative and eliminate the thought of being an employee. Finding a solution to her dilemma was no brain teaser. After all, Stacey had a skill that was relatively uncommon in Guyana during that juncture.

“Christa Marketing Solutions /Visit Guyana started out as a Digital Marketing Services Provider called Social Media Guyana, with our core service being social media management. I was inspired to start it after leaving my job as an E-Marketing Manager with a publishing house in Grenada, due to my pregnancy with my first daughter. I had not wanted to reapply for a job and as no-one was offering such a service at the time in Guyana and having been doing that in Grenada, I decided to introduce those new media solutions here,” she said.

As the company gained popularity, clients with varying needs started approaching the company. Being a determined businesswoman, Stacey took up the challenge to expand her company’s portfolio. In 2014, the company was officially registered as an Advertising and Marketing Solutions Provider.

“We included other marketing and advertising services as the needs of our clients grew. Out of this, we founded the very popular Visit Guyana Facebook and Instagram pages and magazines aimed at promoting Guyana,” Stacey explained.
Today, the company offers full online and offline marketing and advertising solutions. These include social media management, ad production and placement, marketing strategy development and implementation, print and publication, tourism advertising and development services.

While the company takes on some small projects from time to time, its main clients include several major brands in different industries such as Tourism & Hospitality, Food & Beverage, shipping and healthcare. The company also works with other regional marketing brands on various projects. Their clients are kept satisfied owing to priority placed on producing quality work.

Speaking about the team that produces the magic, Stacey said, “Visit Guyana is managed by two persons, but we have serval persons who work with us on the other services we provide, and on our Visit Guyana magazines. These include graphic designers, writers and photographers.”

Christa Marketing Solutions won the 2017 Tourism Entrepreneur Award for their Magazines Visit Guyana and Visit Guyana: Lime, Dine & Unwind. In addition, the company also won the 2014 Tourism Award for Destination Guyana Promotion for their Visit Guyana Facebook page.

Of course, mixing and meddling in these sectors offer many adventures and great moments. “We participated in Guyana’s 50th Anniversary celebration…where we launched the Visit Guyana: Lime, Dine and Unwind Magazine, which promoted Guyana’s wonderful culinary offerings. This was done so persons coming for our 50th would know exactly where to Lime, Dine & Unwind,” she said.

And, even though, the Visit Guyana brand is a business venture, it is close to Stacey’s heart for patriotic reasons. “Our dream is to see Destination Guyana become a world-renowned and popular destination of choice for persons seeking eco-tourism adventure,” she said. “Being able to show off Guyana to the world every single day is a joy for us.

The most fulfilling part is receiving messages from persons who have not visited for many years or who had never heard of Guyana before, telling us our page inspired them to come see and experience Guyana…That makes all our hard work worthwhile,” Stacey said.

But, with all the fame and success, the best part about being this successful for Stacey is the ability to work barefoot in her pajamas and be there for my family. Experiencing the growth of her business while enjoying the different stages of children’s development is a blessing she embraces.