With Guyana now being named one of the top tourism destinations for 2020, Guyanese business persons and entrepreneurs are set to benefit from higher levels of income. Many of these entrepreneurs have been making strides to enhance their services and their capacity to fulfil the needs of their various consumers.

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has implemented several strategies, inclusive of training activities, to ensure business persons are well equipped to benefit from the growing levels of business that will be experienced from the growing tourism sector.
Director of the GTA, Brian Mullis, in an invited comment, told the Guyana Chronicle that the GTA is making a concerted effort to help small businesses to better service the growing tourism sector. He stated that there have been several systems implemented since 2019.
Mullis noted that, “792 business persons were trained by the GTA in 2019 showing a 100 per cent increase over 2018, which included 27 master trainers who were trained to lead trainings, a 500 per cent increase over 2018.” He pointed out that such training was done in an effort to help those businesses transition for better quality and standards. The training activities took place over 56 training sessions throughout Guyana’s primary tourism circuits.

Further, he explained that, in addition to the training, the GTA had been moving to assist businesses to be documented. “Here at the GTA we are also helping businesses get licensed in order to meet international safety and quality standards. Since undertaking this we have documented a 107 per cent increase in the number of licensed businesses over the number licensed in 2018 with 159 businesses now actively in the process of getting licensed.”

In addition, Mullis stated that the GTA has established a partnership with Airbnb Experiences to increase the number of unique tourism experiences offered by individuals and small businesses, and has secured a grant in collaboration with Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) and Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) to develop and implement standardized tourism curriculum for frontline staff in tourism and hospitality.