— Sector closes 2025 with historic visitor growth, new digital tools and landmark policy rollouts

GUYANA’S tourism sector has closed 2025 as one of its strongest years on record, with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) confirming record visitor arrivals, major policy milestones and a bold expansion agenda heading into 2026.
In its end-of-year sector wrap-up, the GTA reported that visitor arrivals between January and October 2025 rose by 24 per cent compared to the same period in 2024, with a total of 371,446 visitors entering the country.
This represents the highest number of arrivals ever recorded for that period and already surpasses Guyana’s full-year totals from previous years.
According to the Authority, the data points to a diversified and increasingly resilient source market. The United States accounted for 40 per cent of arrivals, followed by the Caribbean at 33 per cent. Canada contributed seven per cent, Europe six per cent, Latin America seven per cent, and other markets six per cent, reflecting growing international interest in Guyana as a destination.
Beyond visitor growth, 2025 was marked by significant structural and policy advancements within the sector. Chief among these was the launch of Guyana’s first Destination Booking Engine, a digital platform aimed at modernising the way travellers book tours and experiences.
The GTA described the platform as a “dynamic digital tool designed to revolutionise tourism bookings,” signalling a decisive shift toward digitisation, improved market access for operators, and greater visibility for local tourism products.
Another major milestone in 2025 was the introduction of Guyana’s inaugural Agri-Tourism Policy, a framework designed to strengthen linkages between agriculture and tourism while expanding economic opportunities for rural and hinterland communities.

The policy was developed through collaboration between the GTA, the Inter-American Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), the Ministry of Agriculture, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), and other key stakeholders. The initiative aims to integrate farm-based experiences, value-added production, and community tourism into Guyana’s broader destination offering.
With these foundations in place, the GTA has set aggressive targets for 2026, signalling a transition from growth to consolidation and sector-wide transformation.
According to the wrap-up, the Authority intends to license 300 tourism businesses in 2026, supported by improved internal systems, faster processing timelines, and the establishment of a new Business Development Unit aimed at strengthening compliance and industry engagement.
Product development is also expected to accelerate, with six new tourism experiences slated for introduction, alongside upgrades to existing products to improve quality, competitiveness and visitor satisfaction.
Training and capacity building will remain a central pillar of the Authority’s strategy. In 2026, the GTA plans to train 2,800 individuals across the sector, with targeted programmes in service quality, tour guiding, taxi services, first aid and CPR, business management, social media marketing, culinary arts, green events management and other priority skills designed to professionalise the workforce.
Marketing efforts are also set to scale up significantly. The GTA plans to participate in 22 international trade and consumer shows, roll out multi-market advertising campaigns, host nine group familiarisation (FAM) trips, and support more than 100 local events, including four major quarterly signature events.
Strategic brand partnerships, digital campaigns and targeted outreach across North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and diaspora markets will form the backbone of Guyana’s destination visibility drive.
The Authority noted that these initiatives will be supported by calls for investment, enhanced destination development and continued collaboration with public and private sector partners, as Guyana positions itself as a leading nature, culture and experience-based tourism destination.
As 2026 approaches, the GTA’s message is unambiguous: the sector is no longer emerging, but maturing rapidly, with higher standards, stronger systems and bolder ambitions shaping the next phase of Guyana’s tourism story.