TOURISM operators will no longer have to go through a long and tedious process to obtain their licences as the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) on Monday launched its business-licensing portal, which will provide a more efficient and affordable service.

Speaking at the simple launch ceremony held at Herdmanston Lodge, GTA’s Director Kamrul Baksh said the authority has been working to digitize its services to be more accessible for all stakeholders.
He said that the launch comes on the heels of the agency celebrating its 20 years in operation.

“You know, it’s a significant milestone that we are, you know, embarking on this whole process of digitising services,” Baksh said before adding: “You could actually make the payments on this portal here. We’ve partnered with Mobile Money Guyana [MMG], so that, you know, you don’t have to come into the office to make the payments.”

Baksh reiterated that he is conscious of the hassle many operators go through to have their businesses registered and for that reason, the portal was created.
“This process will drastically reduce the cost of doing business with the Tourism Authority and …I know we need to integrate the process more than is in play already and we will be there shortly.”

To complement the business-licensing portal, Baksh disclosed that the GTA will embark on developing a business support initiative which will soon be rolled out.
“The GTA will also embark on launching the business-support services initiative which will be more than just, you know, saying these are the requirements, but actually going through in …detail what are the specific requirements, helping you with the business templates that are necessary and covering a portion of the cost to get to those things,” he said.

Further, he said: “We’re extending our arm even further for persons to become licensed and as you know, this works hand in hand with our training and human-capital development division, where we train persons in important areas, some of which are our requirements of the regulations.”

Meanwhile, President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Harrinand Persaud, in his brief remarks at the ceremony said that he hopes other agencies will follow the path of GTA in digitising its services to better serve the people.

“It will be much simpler to be able to just upload all your documents, have your licensing process done without having to make several trips back and forth to the GTA office …over the years, we have seen a lot of improvements in Guyana, and this is definitely one. We hope the other agencies will be able to emulate and copy,” Persaud said.

Visit Rupununi’s president Melanie Mcturk said that operators, especially those in the hinterland communities, have been longing for a digitized service to be offered as it is expensive to register their businesses.

“This signals once again, not only that we have a GTA that is actively working on driving the industry forward, but also that the entire tourism sector is really coming into a new era …And we’re very much looking and realising that we are in a new marketplace, we are in a growth trajectory and we are definitely designing a tourism industry that is for the future,” she said.
Stakeholders can access the portal through GTA’s website: www.tourismguyana.com