Revenues from oil and gas can catalyse the growth of a number of industries, including tourism, according to Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) said that the minister was addressing the opening of a one-day forum yesterday on oil and gas and tourism hosted by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) at the Regency Hotel, Georgetown.
“More and more people know where Guyana is. People are coming to Guyana and they are coming to Guyana because they see Guyana as a land of opportunity. So, that has a currency that can be exploited for tourism purposes,” Gaskin said.
The minister also reiterated the government’s stance that it will not become dependent on oil and gas at the expense of other industries.
“Once oil is produced, we know that there will be revenues going to government that are fairly substantial and that gives the government an opportunity, not just to spend money, but also to plan with confidence secure in the knowledge that our long-term national plan can be funded,” Gaskin said.
DPI said that Operators and stakeholders in the oil and gas industry were also briefed by the CEO of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), Owen Verwey, who underlined the challenges the sector faces and encouraged operators to utilise the opportunities to sell their products during international events hosted here.
ExxonMobil representatives shared the security and safety standards that hoteliers, restaurants and other industry service providers are expected to meet before oil companies utilise their services.
One of the Directors of the Guyana Oil and Gas Association, Nigel Hughes, called for the development of infrastructure in the industry, DPI said.
Operators also heard from the Chair of the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chambers, Manniram Prashad, on how they can capitalise on the current spike in business tourism.
