–says GTA Director

THE Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Kamrul Baksh, has revealed that March 2023 saw the highest overall visitor arrivals in over a decade, noting that the figure stands at 27,352.

During an interview with the Sunday Chronicle, Baksh said this is as a result of the hard work, dedication, and commitment of the Ministry of Tourism, led by subject minister Oneidge Walrond, and the GTA.

“Even though the British Airways came to Guyana at the end of March, it is not because of the increase in traffic from the United Kingdom (UK), but it is more so because of an upsurge of business and leisure travellers choosing destination Guyana. We checked in with the tour operators, and they are also booked out,” the GTA Director told this newspaper.
He said based on the numbers, more people are choosing Guyana as their holiday spot, and they are not only staying in the capital city (Georgetown) but they are venturing off to the outskirts of the Essequibo, the Rupununi and other hinterland regions.

He commended the natural beautification project by First Lady Mrs Arya Ali, which has seen the transformation of Georgetown, the Kitty seawall, Lamaha Avenue; the introduction of the various green spaces, family parks and the “I love Guyana signs” throughout the regions.

“Both the local and international tourists are gravitating towards these venues because of the physical enhancement that has been done by the First Lady, the government and to some extent the private sector as well and that wasn’t the case before.”

He added, “We are also seeing this outside of Georgetown, and what I want us to understand is that the government is not only prioritising the capital city, but beyond. Guyana is not only Georgetown but all the 10 administrative regions are benefitting and this will in turn continue to boost the tourism sector.”

The GTA director highlighted that one of the places that is filled with people and their families, especially on the weekends, is the Botanical Gardens, in Georgetown.
As a result, he noted that the GTA has been working closely with the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) to increase domestic and coastal tourism through the urban and protected areas.
The GTA is also working on a plan to optimize the use of the Botanical Gardens by facilitating more activities that will bring people closer together.

Baksh noted that the Botanical Gardens is a bird sanctuary, “and we will be doing bird watching and other activities that we will identify very soon.
“This initiative will also work well with the projects that are being spearheaded by His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali. One such project is the Diamond Eco Lodge Facility which will be 100 percent women-owned and with the coastal products that we have, we are working to integrate the Georgetown tourism circuit even more.”

The aim of all of this, according to Baksh, is to educate and bring awareness to the visiting tourists, so that they can familiarize themselves with Guyana’s rich history that is demonstrated on the city tours, as well as having them experience the gastronomic delights that the nation has to offer.

Apart from those activities, the GTA also facilitates the sunset tours on the Demerara River, tours to Bartica and many other destination tours along the waterways.
Meanwhile, the GTA director noted that the agency is “working in full gear” for the upcoming Cricket Carnival.

“I would say that the period of September will be another record-breaking month, much like what we did last year. One of our main focuses right now is the bed and breakfast programme, several properties have passed the criteria, and we are expecting to give them their conditional approval licence by the end of next week. By the end of June, we are also anticipating a minimum of 30 properties.”