Guyana was last Thursday presented with a copy of the Tourism Circuit Manual of the Amazon Tourism Trail which focuses on developing integrated tourism among Guyana, Suriname and Brazil, at a workshop convened by the tourism ministry, Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) to discuss its uses and application.
The manual is an information guide for all countries, which shows how globalization and travelling need new countries.
It also indicates a change in thinking, moving from national to regional contexts, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
In his address at the workshop, acting Minister of Tourism Irfaan Ali said the manual offers the local tourism sector an opportunity to aggressively enter and expand markets. While Guyana’s local tourism package lags behind, it is now strategically positioned as a part of Amazon tourism and is ready to capitalize on its linkages with the Caribbean and the Amazon.
Ali said the manual comes at a critical time and Guyana has already started to benefit from tourism opportunities due to its ties with Brazil and Suriname.
He called on the private sector to exploit these prospects as they stand to benefit handsomely, especially if all the other Caribbean countries could be persuaded to join the link.
This aspect of world tourism also includes offering sustainable products to tourists that can compete on the international market.
GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh said ACTO is a regional body created by treaty to promote cooperation among eight member countries—Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru—to advance sustainable development of the Amazon region. “Regional integration of tourism circuits is part of the strategic action and priorities for the tourism agenda for the Amazon region,” he said. Haralsingh explained that it will help to promote and boost multi and geographic destination travel, all if which Guyana has committed to.
According to ACTO consultant Karola Tippmann, while 2011 saw an 11% increase of tourists in the Amazonian regions, the Amazon/Caribbean tourism trail will now present a new image of the Amazon to the world where the Caribbean meets the Amazon and biodiversity and cultural aspects of the regions are transmitted to the international market. The tourism circuits are an invitation to create new tourism frameworks and for political and private sector commitments.
In March, there will be an official launch in Berlin, Germany at the International Tourism Fair where Guyana, Suriname and Brazil will be put on the Global Tourism Market.
Donald Sinclair – Coordinator of Infrastructure, Tourism, Transport and Communication for ACTO – said the marketing opportunities contained in the manual must be seen and seized and he urged that it be given full political and private sector support.
He noted that the manual is a tool for use by the public and private sectors and communities as its data can provide and lead to informed decisions about product development and infrastructure and can stimulate public sector responses. It contains itinerary designs and modification information along with information on climate, infrastructure, and socio-economic data about Guyana, Brazil and Suriname.
It also provides information on services such as transportation, accounts, food, and banking transfers.
