THE Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) recently conducted a Social Media Marketing training session for tour representatives from Paruima Village, as part of its initiative to enhance tourism-focused communities across Guyana.
The training, led by GTA Senior Marketing Officer, Nickoli Primo, guided 14 participants through essential topics such as creating social media business pages, influencer marketing for tourism, social media etiquette, goal setting, content strategy, storytelling, video marketing, and utilising analytical tools to measure success.

This session in Paruima follows two other Social Media Marketing training programmes hosted in Shulinab Village and Aishalton Village during October and November 2024. In Shulinab, GTA Senior Manager of Marketing, Annarie Seecharan, trained eight participants, while Primo conducted similar training for another eight participants in Aishalton.

These initiatives were supported by Compete Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), as part of the South Rupununi Circuit Development Project, aimed at boosting tourism in Indigenous communities.
In addition to social media training, the GTA also conducted two Delivering Quality Service training sessions in October. These sessions focused on improving customer service, etiquette, and hospitality techniques to ensure local and international guests receive high-quality experiences.

One session trained 13 participants from Essequibo, while another trained 34 Immigration officers in Georgetown. Further, the GTA’s Product Development team executed a Delivering Quality Service session for 20 participants in Aishalton Village. These participants included representatives from tourism committees, village councils, caterers, accommodation providers, and community service officers.

The GTA emphasised that the training programmes are part of a broader effort to develop tourism-focused communities across Guyana, equipping them with tools to thrive in the competitive tourism industry.
As Guyana continues to grow as a global tourist destination, initiatives like those reflect the GTA’s commitment to building capacity, improving service standards, and creating sustainable opportunities for local communities to benefit from the country’s burgeoning tourism sector.