Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali and his counterpart from Ecuador, Minister Freddy Ehlers, recently held talks on the integration of the two countries’ tourism product, which could see airlifting being introduced through connecting flights in the Carib-bean and South America.
Discussions were held during a visit last month by Ehlers, who paid a courtesy call on Ali and visited the Mangrove Restoration Project site at Victoria, on the East Coast of Demerara, according to a press release from the Tourism Ministry.
Guyana and Ecuador recently signed a Memoran-dum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen political consultations and bilateral ties during a visit by Ecuador’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Integration Minister of the Republic of Ecuador Ricardo Patiño. A reciprocal visa-waiver agreement between the two countries will also come into effect from September 1st of this year.
Ehlers accompanied Patiño. He met with Ali and they discussed the Com-munity Based Tourism (CBT) models used in both countries. Ehlers, the ministry said, noted that Ecuador ranks number one in Latin America for promoting CBT. “We believe that the tourism mechanism must be owned by the people and that the ethics of the industry must not be used to derail the local culture, customs and practices. It must be used to promote aspects of community life,” Ali, meanwhile, was quoted as saying. The ministry added that there were also talks of introducing airlifting and linking the destinations through connecting flights in the Caribbean and South America.
Ehlers also invited Ali and a delegation to attend three major international events that will be held in Quito, Ecuador in September: the 54th Meeting of Regional Commission for the Ameri-cas, the International Ethics and Tourism Congress and the Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High Autho-rities of the Organisation of American States.
According to the Tourism Ministry, Ali welcomed the invitation and proposed that an agreement between the two ministries to develop tourism packages be drafted. Ali also noted opportunities for investment in Guyana, for which he said discussions will be held when he visits Ecuador next month.
The Ministry added that a MoU will also be signed for increased cooperation for the development of the tourism sector.
During his visit, Ehlers also Ehlers toured the Mangrove Restoration Project site at Victoria, which Ali said is one of the ways that the country intends to address climate change while incorporating aspects of community life. “We have blended that together to come up with a strong tourism product that we want to share with the rest of the world,” he said.
At the Visitor’s Centre at Cove and John, the team was welcomed by local conservationist Annette Arjoon-Martins, who made a brief presentation about the benefits of the project. She was also invited to Ecuador to speak about the importance of conservation.
Ehlers, who is described as a television producer and journalist, also made a video documentary during his stay. “This is my first trip to Guyana and I want to use this visit to get footage of Guyana to promote in Ecuador. For me it is important that we have an exchange of information,” he was quoted as saying.
Ali, Arjoon-Martins and Victoria residents were also interviewed by Ehlers for a segment to be aired on his TV programme, Ecuador ama la vida (Ecuador loves life).
