…tourism minister says of top Eco-tourism Award

WITH Guyana being named the “Best Eco-tourism” destination in the world, Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin, is calling for continuous work to be done for the country to achieve greater heights in the tourism industry.

The minister made this call during his feature address at the Cara Lodge Hotel on Monday, March 11, 2019, when the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) received the Number One Eco-tourism Destination of the World Award by the Sustainable 100 Top Destinations of the Green Destinations Foundation and ITB Berlin.

“We need to build on this achievement. It is not the end of the road…It should inspire us to further work to achieve greater heights in the tourism industry,” Minster Gaskin told the gathering, with members of the tourism fraternity in attendance.
According to Minister Gaskin, the recognition received teaches Guyana that it is possible for the county to achieve even greater heights in the tourism industry by doing things better, smarter and with more confidence.

Meanwhile, Director General of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, during his address explained that being named the ‘top Eco-tourism Destination’ is a huge responsibility for Guyana.
Sinclair stressed that the award adds both value and appeal to Guyana and will generate a spike in tourists into the country. “Many committed eco-travellers, learning that the Number One eco-tourism destination is on the north-eastern shoulder on South America, will be moving to our websites, some will be making bookings to travel… It is not in our interest to disappoint them” he added.

The director general revealed that, in June 2020, Guyana will be hosting the Caribbean Studies Association Conference which will see over 500 attendees interested in sampling the Geo-culture experience.

He urged that the minister responsible for tourism should now be in a position to meet with the finance minister to acquire the adequate funding to develop the eco-tourism of Guyana.
Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Brian Mullis, who also spoke at the event noted that the country has a lot of room for improvement to remain in the top spot.

“We have to continue to markedly advance our efforts to remain one of the best of the best and we (GTA) recognise that we (Guyana) have a lot of room for improvement in areas like renewable energy and energy efficiency, waste management, managing wildlife trade, along with adopting alternative mining practices” Mullis remarked.

With the recent discovery of Guyana’s vast oil reserve, Mullis stressed that the country is at a critical point in its history, where it has an opportunity to shift its development path, modernise its economy and positively transform the lives of its citizens. However, he noted, the development path must support Guyana’s Green State Strategy and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Mullis explained that Guyana was awarded the Number One Eco-tourism Destination of the World Award because of its holistic approach to sustainable destination management and development from our now world-renowned tourism enterprise.