– documents to guide operational, human resource development
THE Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has acknowledged that a number of small and medium-sized tourism enterprises are in need of necessary support to further develop their capacities within the sector.
As such, the GTA in its continuous developmental efforts to promote Guyana as a sustainable destination, has since developed three business-support documents for the country’s tourism sector. In a press release, the GTA said that through the association these documents aim to minimise negative impacts on the environment, people and economy and to improve the effective use of internal resources.
“We know that multi-stakeholder collaboration is more important now more than ever to continuously strengthen the quality of service provided which will, by extension, improve Guyana’s tourism offerings,” the GTA said.
According to the GTA in its release, the three documents are:
1. Sustainability Policy and Documentation Best Practices: A policy document which should be used by managers and operators across the various tourism categories who have responsibility for sustainability and operations. As a guideline, it will aid in the improvement of the sustainability standards within companies, as well as implementing GTA’s new regulations and guidelines.
2. Community Ecolodge Operations Manual: An Operations Manual which is intended to be used by government officers, planners, industry players and community leaders as a guide to ensure that community-based tourism is developed in a sustainable manner. According to the release, it aims to ensure that the level of service promised guests is properly and consistently delivered; that customer ratings are monitored and that staff are equipped with the relevant skills and resources to deliver excellent customer service, which will contribute to a complete experience. The recommendations outlined are practical and based on best practices derived from the case studies.
3. Tourism Business Toolkit: A toolkit that has been created as a business-support tool to assist micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the tourism sector to establish and operationalise their tourism businesses. The GTA said that hoteliers, lodges and resort managers, tour guides and outfitters as well as tour operators and destination-marketing companies can all benefit from this toolkit.
“The toolkit, to be disseminated via Eblast to registered members of the tourism sector and our partners, is organised into three sections:
? Before you receive your guests (Pre-trip),
? During your guest’s trip (During trip)
? After the guest departs (Post-trip)
An assortment of diverse tools, including general operational procedures, risk
management and emergency procedures, booking and cancellation forms among
others, are readily available within this guide,” the GTA said.
It noted that taking into consideration the dynamic nature of tourism, these documents are deemed living and will be updated as necessary.
It posited that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, locals and international travellers will pay more attention to health and hygiene, sustainability and less crowded destinations and activities.
“As such, businesses are required to improve their overall operations to address these concerns and ensure the health and safety of their guests. These business-support documents will serve as a good base to help improve their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in keeping with the new normal we now live and have to operate in,” the GTA said.
