tourism sector set for greater 2012 growth, development    
– GTA Director
THE local tourism sector is set to experience even greater growth and development in the coming year and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is poised to facilitate this expansion.
GTA Director, Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh made the declaration during a media briefing in his Sophia, Georgetown office, on Tuesday, when he highlighted the plans for moving forward in the coming year.
“We are confident that, in 2012, we will surpass visitor arrivals for this year. We have a number of things planned to achieve this and, with the continued support of the government and the private sector, we will succeed,” he posited.
Haralsingh said, towards that target, the GTA has proposed a number of initiatives, including the continued promotion of familiarisation (FAM) trips and increasing international marketing strategies to include the Diaspora and attendance at key travel trade shows.
Alluding to the advantages of their implementation, he said: “We will continue to have market-led FAM trips where we bring the best in the marketplace to the tourism product. In that way, we can improve sales and distribution network and the tour operators who are selling us internationally. One can, in 2012, expect more marketing and engagement with the Diaspora, particularly in North America and closer at home, in the Caribbean.”
In addition, persons can anticipate more packaging next year to attract visitors and persons from overseas, so that they, too, will be encouraged to invest.
More importantly, the GTA Director pledged to work more closely with the private sector to achieve the common goal of growing the industry.
He observed that, in the private sector, they own and invest in the properties and conduct the tours and it is critical to continue work with them.
“Once this partnership grows stronger, we can see better results. These are just a few of the things that you can expect from the GTA in terms of marketing, product development and where we continue to diversify our tourism product, which is a low-volume, high-value product,” Haralsingh added.
The GTA Director acknowledged that the government has already invested in the necessary infrastructure to support and promote a growing tourism sector in Guyana.
This includes the development of the necessary infrastructure to support the industry, in several key areas, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT);the One Laptop Per Family programme (OLPF);the Amaila Falls Hydro Project; the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion; and the Marriott Hotel, he said.
“Government has already invested in house lots to facilitate the remigration. When that happens, we will engage the Diaspora in a more aggressive manner and we can get the transfer of skills, knowledge and technology, which will lead to more intense marketing,” he observed.
In that regard, he reiterated the GTA’s commitment to continuing to contribute to the growth of the country’s tourism sector, by focusing on international as well as local marketing.
“It is all looking good for tourism development. We are optimistic that government will continue to invest more and we can see the tremendous work that has already been done to lay the foundation for encouraging more persons to continue to promote Destination Guyana,” said Haralsingh.