IN years to come, Guyanese will see the exponential growth and expansion of Guyana’s tourism offerings as well as the elevation of ‘Destination Guyana,’ and the aggressive marketing of the country on the international scene. With this, tourism will take its true place as one of the major transformational pillars of our nation’s economic development.
This is according to Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues, who delivered remarks during the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) National Quality Awards (NQA) held on Wednesday.
At the time, Minister Rodrigues linked the growth of the NQA and the evolution of standards in Guyana to tourism, stating that she has been speaking about a similar kind of consistency and predictability in this area.
As a service provider, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), under the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce (MINTIC), is committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and compliance within the tourism industry.
All tourism stakeholders (operators, guides, and service providers) in Guyana must adhere to licensing and regulatory requirements set by the government. These are outlined in the GTA Regulations of 2008 and can be found on the GTA’s website.
The minister noted that embracing these standards is well for our country, especially at a time when we are pursuing greater international collaborations and partnerships that require consistency and high standards.
Noting that Guyana has made tremendous progress in building a strong national quality culture, Minister Rodrigues explained that it is a collective shift, an aspiration shared by businesses, institutions, and individuals to embrace common values, and practices that prioritise quality, excellence, and continuous improvement.
“It reflects a national mindset in which our products, services, processes, and daily interactions consistently meet the highest standards,” she said.
Speaking about the agency, which also falls directly under her ministry, Minister Rodrigues said the GNBS has actively been supporting its sister agencies and regional organisations in strengthening their own standards system.
A team from the bureau was dispatched to the Bahamas to assist in their Standards Bureau becoming ISO 9001 certification ready. Additionally, the bureau has delivered metrology training, hosted interns from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and other national standard bodies, and provided calibration services for Surinamese counterparts.
