By Jared Liddell
DESPITE the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism sector recorded a successful year and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) will be building on these successes through the implementation of several new systems to ensure a better 2021 for the growing sector.

GTA Director Carla James told the Guyana Chronicle that incentives will be provided for investment in tourism so as to encourage new and better tourism-related activities.

“We do need to create more activities, more experiences, so we are working with GO-Invest [and] GRA to revise the tourism incentive package to encourage more businesses opening tour operations, or even putting in new activities such as zip-lining just so there are more things to do that are accessible and that are not expensive, especially to our Guyanese who want to go out there to explore their own country,” said James.

She noted that due to Guyana’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, the country is a pull for international tourists. While noting the importance of international tourists to Guyana, the GTA Director emphasised that this year the GTA intends to see more locals having access to Guyana’s tourism products.

One of the systems intended to improve local access to the tourism sector is the removal of taxes from the vacation allowances of persons in the private sector. She stated that the GTA is currently in talks with the Ministry of Finance, as well as the Guyana Revenue Authority and several private sector organisations to have this policy change finalised.

This tax concession the GTA believes would enable many more persons to benefit from the local tourism products of Guyana. Currently, only members of the public sector enjoy tax- free allowances on receipt of their annual leave passage allowance.

James further noted that with international travel expected to restart in a major way by the end of the first quarter of the year, the GTA is looking to advance its marketing strategy geared at selling Guyana as a safe destination.
She said one of the major aims of the GTA is the achievement of increased alignment with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Caribbean Travellers Health Assurance Stamp.

The Caribbean Travellers Health Assurance Stamp for Healthier Safer Tourism (HST) is a measurable and verifiable recognition award for tourism entities and destinations that are implementing the recommended proactive COVID-19 health monitoring and safety measures.

It is aimed at building travellers’ assurance, tourism resilience and regional health security. The measures include utilising the Tourism and Health Information System (THiS), a web-based, early warning and response information system to capture illnesses in real-time and thereby reduce spread and reputational damage; certified training in COVID-19 health measures for the hospitality sector (including testing, masks, social distancing, handwashing hygiene, sanitisation, and response from visitor arrival to departure); guidelines and checklists; hospitality health, safety and environmental sanitation (HSE) operational standards.

James stated that one of the major determinants of the success of the tourism industry in the level of compliance with health and safety guidelines by the local businesses in the tourism sector. She stated that the GTA, as part of its new strategies, intends to increase enforcement and monitoring of these businesses. Representatives of the GTA will be dispatched to conduct monitoring to ensure that all COVID-19 protocols are followed.

“We will continue to monitor tourism businesses to verify that they are compliant with the protocols that they have committed to, based on the inspection process. Additionally, we are going to increase enforcement to hold all businesses accountable, because that is the only way that we can continue to keep our workforce safe, our communities safe and of course our travellers safe,” said James.