THE Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and key stakeholders are in the process of developing a destination development map and action plan for Guyana as it continues to push tourism here.

In its effort to continue the development of the local tourism product, the GTA has embarked on developing the map and plan through the engagement of stakeholders, building partnerships, increasing tourism investment and improving resource efficiencies.
Director of the GTA Brian Mullis said the aims are to strengthen the capacities of leaders in the travel and tourism sector and move toward a demand-based approach to guide tourism product and infrastructure development.

“The main aim is to help realise the potential of the Guyana tourism sector, and in doing so, meet its aspiration of becoming a ‘Green’ State, a leading sustainable tourism destination in the Latin America – Caribbean Region, and relevant to everyone even tangentially engaged in the travel and tourism industry,” said Mullis in an invited comment on Friday.

Many tourism product and infrastructure development initiatives only have a limited degree of market orientation. As a result, very often tourism service providers do not understand the explicit or underlying motivations of visitors.

Mullis believes that the lack of understanding can lead to a situation where tourism products and services do not meet market demand or consumer expectations and the failure of new tourism enterprises. The GTA and key stakeholders are however focused on moving to a market-driven approach to tourism development based on visit readiness, market access, and strategic visitor flows.

“The resulting work will become a living Destination Development & Management Action Plan for Guyana that informs tourism development nationwide,” said Mullis, adding that the authority continues to strengthen its work with key stakeholders such as Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and GO Invest to prioritise policy recommendations which will improve the enabling environment for tourism businesses and investors.

In many ways, he believes that Guyana is already an ideal destination for the increasing number of travelers who are seeking out authentic nature, culture and adventure experiences.

“This reality is reinforced by the fact that Guyana continues to be recognised in the international media. It was, for example, recently accorded yet another distinction and featured in National Geographic Traveller’s ‘The Cool List 2019’,” said Mullis.

Despite that, the GTA intends on continuing to improve the safety, quality and sustainability of the local tourism product in order to maximise socio-economic and conservation outcomes and improve overall visitor experience. This, Mullis said, will require inter-ministerial and cross-sectorial collaboration. In realisation of the continued impending growth, he said there is an urgent need to improve infrastructure, refresh existing products, develop new products, and reduce the cost of domestic travel.

Mullis believes that the greater the investment in travel and tourism-related product development, infrastructure, and local capacity, the greater the tourism sector can contribute to the economic transformation which prioritises a ‘Green’ State agenda.