-‘meet and greet’ event held to share ideas

THE Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce in collaboration with the Guyana Tourism Authority on Tuesday night held a cocktail ‘meet and greet’ at Palm Court with creators/influencers, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and other cabinet members, to help build ‘Brand Guyana’.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond told the large gathering comprising mainly content creators and influencers, that it was a pleasure to share the room with some of Guyana’s most creative and influential voices.

“As I am looking around the room, Prime Minister, we have in excess of four million views represented in this room tonight. So, we have as the government and minister, see you as innovators, story-tellers, people who have the power to shape how the world sees Guyana,” she said.

The minister added that they have invited influencers, who documented travel, landscape, sports, street foods, livestock, entertainment figures, culture, history, business among others to be part of the event to engage the cabinet members for clarity and to voice their concerns.

She added that travel and tourism are about raw experiences that bring stories to life. Today, people are discovering destination Guyana on brochures and billboards and from our local influencers via their content, she emphasised.

Minister Walrond stated that she has seen them featuring street foods, the hole in the wall cafes, the new malls, restaurants, hotels and even in the remote locations creating a window for people from around the world to see Guyana.

She stated that from the local content created it has piqued the interest of people far and wide about the things that are happening in Guyana and the content put out there highlights the undeniable progress this country continues to make.

The subject minister added that the event was hosted to bring all the content creators together to offer them an opportunity to collaborate, network and explore how we can work together to highlight Guyana in new and exciting ways.

“The ministers are here tonight. This will provide an opportunity for you to get context. The story about Guyana isn’t just about tourism, but all the ministers are here to talk about different things, major projects impacting Guyana, in all parts of the country,” she said.

Minister Walrond explained that the event is also about elevating Guyana’s profile. She explained that every minister was there to give perspectives to collaborate and to listen to feedback.

“In building the Brand Guyana, it is better to have dialogue, to hear criticisms, feedback, without it being done in front of thousands and millions of people. We are open to hear your suggestions, to build relationships, to elevate our Brand Guyana,” the minister added.

Minister Walrond pointed out that the government understands the need for collaboration to build a country’s brand. She said the aim should not be to pull down Guyana in public, but rather to build the country’s profile and highlight the ground-breaking achievements.

She disclosed that Guyana has recorded the highest visitors’ arrival even before pre-COVID-19. We have eight new airlines established here, the construction of internationally branded hotels, 60 new tourism experiences bringing depth and diversity to our tourism product among others.

“As content creators, you play a significant role in building our country’s brand, in shaping the profile among our peers in the region. We can stand well with our national identity, walk with our heads held high. For too long Guyanese have talked disapprovingly about Guyana. You will never find people speaking bad about their country. When we go out there to represent Guyana, we must stand tall, build our self-esteem. Brand Guyana has an important role to play in this regard to enhance our national identity and culture so much…everything thing matters since it tells a story. We had suffered the indignity of poverty. When people come here to spend, we all will benefit, be the forefront of Guyana as content creators/pioneers to drive positivity of our policies in networking,” she said.

Meanwhile, PM Phillips in his brief remarks encouraged the content creators/influencers to partner with the government to build Brand Guyana, to visit the length and breadth of this country to showcase its potential.

“Follow President Irfaan Ali’s mission to make Guyana unmatchable in tourism product by year 2030. As content creators/influencers, speak freely, say what you need to share with us to make Guyana a better place…,” he said.

Dr. Jagdeo urged the content creators/influencers to work with the current administration to showcase Guyana in the right perspective.

“We need you to tell the story to fit the impression of Guyana since we are not inferior to the rest of the world, not defined in criminality and people have access to social media to democratise the dissemination of information,” he said, adding that this is a great opportunity for us.

“It irks me when people try to portray Guyana in negativity. There are many positives about our country due to rapid development in every region to enhance the lives of our people,” Jagdeo said.

Three of the local content creators/influencers won prizes. The winner will go on the Sunset Cruise in the Demerara River, compliments of Blackwater Tour. The second prize is a Dream ATV Tour by Savannah Tours and the third is the Linden Experience by New Kayak Group.