Increased visitor arrivals expected for rest of the year

THE Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, called upon stakeholders in the tourism sector to adequately equip themselves for a potential rise in visitor numbers. The challenge was issued by the minister during an engagement session at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre with representatives from hotels, lodges, resorts, restaurants, bars, and tour operators.

Minister Walrond informed the stakeholders that the indicators are pointing to a significant increase in bookings for the ICC World Cup and Cricket Carnival periods. Nevertheless, she pointed out that although bookings typically reach their highest point during the July and August months, as well as the Cricket Carnival period, visitor arrivals are projected to remain consistently high throughout the remainder of the year.

“I want to implore you that as we improve and showcase our service and country this week, to continue on that energy for the rest of the months because we will be seeing more and more visitors coming to our shores,” Minister Walrond advised.
Minister Walrond also emphasised the need for tourism businesses to improve the visitor experience through better customer service, year-round tourism strategies, facility improvements, and marketing efforts. Emphasis was placed on the upcoming ICC T20 semifinal match as well as other national events.

She stressed on the critical role of each business in prioritising professionalism and hospitality that will leave a lasting impression on visitors.
While noting that tourism remains a key income earner, the minister pointed out that a deliberate strategy of the government is to maintain a steady influx of visitors every month.

Coming out of the engagement with stakeholders, a decision was taken to have quarterly meetings with tourism stakeholders to foster greater transparency and collaborative efforts to propel the industry forward.
Permanent Secretary, Sharon Roopchand- Edwards and Director of GTA, Kamrul Baksh, co-chaired the engagement session.