I AM one of those persons who would champion Guyana as the place to be any day, any time. And I’d say for maybe the past few years or so, there has been this great push for Guyana to develop its tourism industry, you know, since the country literally has a lot to offer and tourism is a pretty lucrative, sustainable industry. But this past week I visited Barbados for the first time, and this (inter alia) has changed my outlook towards tourism here.

Barbados is a country that thrives off on tourism. A walk through Bridgetown or on any beach, on any day, at any time, would reveal that at least a quarter of the population is made up of tourists. And it would appear that most of these tourists come with a great deal of spending power– just because of the places at which they stay and things they do while in the country.

Due to the cognisance of this, perhaps, the country has adapted itself to cater to these needs and the people have integrated themselves into this mould.

One of the definite standout points of Barbados was how safe everyone reassured it was. Now, I am a wild child — so much so that I got lost in Barbados because I took the wrong bus — but the people on the island were very helpful and I didn’t feel the need to panic, because of how safe I felt.

Two weeks ago, a cruise ship made a historic stop in Guyana. It was a momentous occasion that took weeks of careful planning to get right, according to Director-General of Tourism, Donald Sinclair. One passenger however ventured around on his own and unfortunately, was robbed. The man acted of his own volition, beyond where the passengers were supposed to stay– but that isn’t enough to justify what happened to him. And this doesn’t augur well for Guyana as it hopes to attract more cruise ships and tourists.

The contrast in Barbados is that I wondered about for maybe an hour before I found my way back and nothing, thankfully, happened to me. Maybe I was lucky or maybe the people on the island understand the value of tourists. Now I’m not trying to say that Guyana isn’t safe, nor am I putting my head on a block for Barbados. What I am saying is that it would appear again, that the Bajans have structured the country in such a way that makes it conducive for tourism, practically at all times.

Aside from the unfortunate robbery, the director-general shared that the policy-makers within the local tourism industry put together a task force to cater for the smooth transitioning of these tourists and moving forward, a manual on the Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) for cruise-ship visits would be crafted. These measures would place a greater focus on security and safety concerns. A contract valued at US$250,000 has been recently awarded for the construction of a hospitality institute also. This institute, which has been in the pipeline for years, would enable workers in the tourism industry to benefit from training and become qualified — all in an attempt to better serve tourists.

What this shows is that institutionally, the country is making moves to ready itself for greater tourism. So now, what is left to be focused on is changing people’s outlook on Guyana and getting them to experience greatness for themselves.

I spoke to one of the passengers, a retired Chemistry teacher from the United Kingdom, Richard Chambers, when the cruise ship came to Guyana. Chambers shared that Guyana isn’t seen as a tourist destination, in the usual sense. The country doesn’t have the white sandy beaches and the ‘blue water’ that are very attractive to others (myself included, admittedly).

However, this country does boast unmatched (totally not biased) eco-tourism with its beautiful natural environment and wildlife. And not to brag or anything, but Guyana bagged the World’s Best Eco-tourism Destination award recently, also. And it is well known that Guyana boasts a vibrant multi-ethnic society; it is the definition of being culturally alive, in fact (again, definitely not biased).

Reflecting on Barbados and the Bajans, there are areas on which Guyana can improve. And with moves apace to do just that, maybe the future for tourism is bright. Better must come.