With raising the profile of Guyana’s interior regions being one of the focal points of the country’s broader initiative to popularize the industry, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has been engaged in enhancing the preparedness of some of those communities to raise tourism-friendliness standards.
Accordingly, the Authority has provided information on an initiative targeting the communities of Moraikobai and Karasabai in various disciplines associated with providing community-based support for the sector.
A release from the GTA earlier this week disclosed that it had concluded training in the delivery of Quality Service, First Aid and CPR to 48 residents of those communities. Over two separate training sessions the GTA had worked with 25 residents of Moraikobai in Region Five and with 23 residents of Karasabai in Region Eight, from May 2-5 and May 13-15, respectively.
In its release the GTA said that its Training Officer, Deborah Clementson delivered three days of training in Delivering Quality Service to thirteen 13 participants at Moraikobai, while Davina Layne, the Authority’s Manager of Training, Licensing & Operations, conducted three days of training in Delivering Quality Service for 11 persons in Karasabai. This training programme, the GTA said, was designed by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and seeks to educate participants on the importance of tourism in Guyana and the neighbouring regions, understanding and respecting cultural differences and the importance of delivering quality service to travelers.
During separate discourses with the Stabroek Business, Director of the GTA Brian Mullis has placed particular emphasis on the importance of raising the profile of Guyana’s interior tourism profile as a means of rendering the overall tourism product more marketable.
In its media release the GTA said that arising out of its initiatives 12 residents of Moraikobai are now trained in Basic First Aid, including the A-Z of first aid treatment and emergency procedures such as CPR. It says that a further 12 persons from Karasabai have also been trained in Basic First Aid. Beyond that the release said that participants were also given instructions in disaster preparedness. These two-day sessions in both communities were conducted by Deon Worrell of the St. John Association of Guyana whom, it said, “made use of practical, hands-on scenarios involving coaching participants to maximize their individual skills and teach them how to work as a team.” It added that this method of training “participants will be able to implement a coordinated response in emergency scenarios which will ultimately build confidence to respond to incidents where time is of the essence, significantly reducing the potential for fatalities.”
Meanwhile, the GTA disclosed that it is receiving support from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MOIPA) in the construction of a Lodge intended to accommodate visitors, particularly nature and sports fishing enthusiasts and birders at Moraikobai. It says that while a deadline for the completion of the Project is yet to be finalized the Moraikobai Tourism Committee expects that the lodge will be completed by the end of 2019.
Meanwhile, the GTA has staged a sport fishing training guide between May 27 – 30 in the village of Warapoka in Region 1. Warapoka is also one of the four highlighted communities for community-led and owned tourism development in the 2019-2025 through partnership between the GTA and MOIPA.
Asserting that it is committed to “developing community-led and owned tourism by providing the relevant training programmes and assistance” the GTA is proceeding on the awareness that creating and enhancing tourism infrastructure will add value to the product and enhance Guyana’s international profile as a favoured tourist destination.
