…President Ali says
–could be found, developed in every corner of the country

THE country’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali says Guyana is more than just the iconic Kaieteur Falls; he believes that the beauty of the largest single-drop waterfall in the world can be found at every corner.
The Head of State, while highlighting some of the jewels that can be found in the treasure trove by just travelling a mere two hours outside of Georgetown, firmly established the point that tourism in Guyana is affordable.
Dr. Ali made the foregoing observations last Wednesday at the Umana Yana, while giving a feature address at the launch of a coffee-table book titled, “Visual Chronicles of the Mahaica Wetlands and Mangrove”.

As he praised the project led by the EMC Foundation, a local organisation focused on environmental awareness and education, the Head of State showcased how unique Guyana truly is.
“We have to build this brand, Guyana, and speak in a collective voice about how much we love this brand, Guyana,” he said while further noting that Guyanese need to start celebrating who they are as a people, and the leadership we can provide to the world when it comes to the environment and climate change.

“We can lead the world in the way we have managed our environment; on the way we have approached climate change and what our forest offers the world. And we always have to remind ourselves that this is the position we must start from,” he said.

As he spoke of some of the hidden gems that lie right at one’s fingertips, the President stated, “Many times we hear how expensive it is to visit tourism locations in Guyana, because we have a fixation that tourism is Kaieteur Falls, or we have a fixation that tourism is Kanuku Mountains. Yes, that’s a big part of tourism, but we have some beautiful facilities within two hours of the city that are mind-blowing; that can rival any other facility of a similar nature globally.”

Guyana has continued to make its mark in the tourism industry, and a recent example of this is the fact that the nation copped the Destination of the Year in the Ecological Tourism category in March. This is according to the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) at its International Travel Awards 2024 at the International Tourism Exchange in Berlin
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The PATWA International Travel Awards have been instituted independently, and are now in their 24th year.
The awards recognise governments, organisations, brands, ministers, and individuals who have excelled in the promotion of tourism.
This includes airlines, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, destinations, government bodies, tourism ministries, and other service providers related directly or indirectly with the trade.

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY
The nation has adopted a proactive approach to protecting its diverse ecosystem, and with that said, President Ali has underscored that a strong position will be taken to ensure that it is not destroyed.

“We are going to deal with these things,” he said. “We have to enact the most modern legislation when it comes to hunting, protecting our hunting grounds and ensuring that people are not carrying out their fanciful desire by overhunting and destroying our ecosystem, our biodiversity and our animal life in these areas.”

Earlier this year, President Ali announced that the government is collaborating with some of the best universities to build a world-class biodiversity centre in Guyana.

“We have kept our biodiversity intact. In the last 50 years, the world has lost 65 per cent of its biodiversity. We have kept our biodiversity intact, because that is going to be worth billions in the near term,” he said.