Providing the ultimate travel experience via photography/videos on social media

WHEN Candace Phillips started her digital creation, “A Path to Travel” on social media, she didn’t expect much, even though she loves her job, which entails a lot of travelling across the country. Still, she was overjoyed by the encouragement and positive feedbacks she received. It has inspired her to create a space for her travel and tourism through her eyes: Photography capturing her travel experiences around Guyana.

A Path to Travel was a happy coincidence; it was one of those things that just happened and motivated her when people became interested in seeing Guyana through her travels, since some cannot physically go to those places, due to many reasons.

Phillips travels a lot because of her job; she has been the Manager,  Product Development Division of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) since 2019, and is responsible for developing newer tourism products for the sector.

Phillips grew up in Georgetown, but her home village is Santa Rosa, in the Moruca sub-district.

“I love the places; the connections with the people. Being able to share my travels via photos and videos is something that is so fulfilling, because I give people the opportunity to be there when they physically can’t,” she reasoned.

It was when her job took her across the country, in the remotest parts, that she saw how vast a land we live in, and its true beauty. She realised “A Path to Travel” was destined to happen.

Phillips is truly humbled by experiences. She told the Pepperpot Magazine that this year is going to be big in terms of newer tourism products, and so far, she is proud of the strides she’s made to develop the sector.

The mother of three said that she is very careful to focus solely on landscape photography and not on people, which can get in the way of her current employment.

Phillips reported that “A Path to Travel” goes back to where it all started. She had travelled in the country before, but her horizons broadened even further when she gained employment at GTA. It took on a different flight, and she saw the endless possibilities.

She explained that she became a digital creator when she realised she had the opportunity to travel widely in Guyana; to places some people can only dream of, and coupled with her love for photography, it refined her dream of showing people Guyana outside of the city, and took on the challenge of utilising her photos and videos via social media.

“I am no professional. I see myself as a student of life; always willing to learn and see things from different perspectives. I had a full gallery of photos and videos of my travels, and nowhere to share it. Then ‘A Path to Travel’ was conceptualised as a separate platform from my personal page on social media,” she said.

“It had reached a point where I wanted to quit, but the encouragement I received motivated me to continue, because people showed me how special my photos were to them; it gave them hope and my writings are also something that is etched deep within me but with my busy schedule it doesn’t allow me to explore the possibilities,” she related.

Phillips explained that the name “A Path to Travel” has a two-part meaning, which is quite personal and special with travel experience since she never imagined her life would take this path.

The other part is the amount of motivation she received from random people and others she is getting to know. Over time, she managed to sharpen her photography skills to a satisfactory level.

“Since my job provides the medium for me to travel constantly, it dawned on me that I can put my photos out there to give the people what they want of the places I visit, for them to experience the scenic landscape without being physically there,” she said

Phillips disclosed that she doesn’t benefit in any way other than taking photos of the landscape to share on her social media, but she does take personal trips with her three children as a way for them to see the country.

She reported that her main intention through this venture is to show a beautiful Guyana through photos and videos.

Phillips related that her drive comes from people- strangers -and she is truly inspired by the outpouring of messages and appreciation for her photography.

“I like to create something that wasn’t there before, that’s the best part about my job and I love it, what I do makes me feel good inside and it manifests in my photography which I share with others,” Phillips said.

Being a mother and having a super busy job schedule, travelling most of the time, the balance at times is overwhelming but her children and mother are her constant support system and they are fully onboard in her time management and being away from home.

Phillips explained that product development is quite intense and it is a lot of work in the background, behind the scenes and she doesn’t mind at all, but with her team, she gets the support needed to produce.

She also pointed out that in her line of work, partnership is a hallmark since it takes others, teamwork to make it happen collectively in the tourism sector which is not stagnant and is evolving.

Phillips revealed that in her department “The Travel Industry Development Division” has two sections, the training and licensing and Product Development, the latter of which she is the team leader.