The High Commission of Canada in Guyana has launched a project to help eco-lodges in Indigenous communities to safely reopen to tourists.
The project, dubbed “Restarting Tourism: Establishing Health and Safety Protocols for Eco-Lodges to Resume Operations During COVID-19,” is intended to benefit those Indigenous communities whose primary source of income is tourism and which were severely affected as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In announcing the project last Friday, the High Commission said it would support Indigenous community-based eco-Lodges to safely bring tourists back to their communities after a nine-month COVID-imposed hiatus and also provide best practices that can be useful to others within the sector.
Project activities are scheduled to start in early January and to conclude by April of 2021.
In March 2020, the High Commission noted, Guyana’s the tourism industry was brought to a standstill as a result of the pandemic, including the closure of the airports.
With the recent announcement of the approval for the restart the industry, the High Commission said the “Establishing Health and Safety Protocols” project was formulated to provide staff, villagers, transportation providers and tour operators at the identified eco-lodges with the training needed to operate during COVID-19.
It explained that the project, which is being executed by Wilderness Explorers Guyana, will work with the Rewa, Surama and Caiman House eco-lodges. It noted that training will include staff safety, guest safety, sanitation practices and emergency care, along with the transferring of knowledge for the community and other staff within their lodges and neighbouring loges, which is seen as essential for long term success.
The training sessions will be done at the Atta Lodge, located in the Iwokrama Rainforest Reserve. The High Commission pointed out that the project will also work closely with Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Ministry of Health to ensure that the lodges are locally and internationally COVID-compliant and the protocols are sustainable for the sector.
At the conclusion of the training, each participating lodge will receive a manual to take back to their communities to be used as a reference guide on health and safety protocols. Each lodge will also receive cleaning and sanitisation supplies to support the implementation of sanitisation practices at their facilities. Additionally, once the standards are in place, the project will embark on a tourism promotion drive both locally and internationally, in collaboration with the GTA and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), where the Rewa, Surama and Caiman House eco-lodges will be marketed as safe and ‘COVID-compliant’. “The aim is to increase the interest in their unique tourism offering and also increase the amount tourists to the communities while also demonstrating that safety protocols are in place. This will provide steady employment for the residents and contribute to Guyana’s eco-tourism sector,” the High Commission explained.
Andrea de Caires, General Manager of Wilderness Explorers, was quoted as saying that the challenges that communities and eco-lodges are facing to reopen their tourism businesses safely have been recognised. “Wilderness Explorers in partnership with the Guyana Tourism Authority are grateful to the Canadian High Commission for their support in expanding our training in the health and safety Covid-19 protocols. Using Atta Rainforest Lodge as a classroom, the training will provide theoretical and practical knowledge to lodge managers and staff so that they are prepared to deliver safe service,” she was quoted as saying.
Canadian High Commission Charge d’affaires Janine Cocker added that Canada was pleased to support the effort to ensure both safety and economic security of communities that have worked hard to build up their tourism industry. It was noted that the project aligns with the Government of Canada’s support for economic resilience in vulnerable communities, including its work with many Indigenous communities to support economic development. This includes a partnership to establish the Paramakatoi Food Processing Training and Research facility that produces Sundried Tomato Ketchup and Sundried Tomato Salad Dressings and supporting two farine factories in Wowetta and Moco Moco, in Region 9, to promote food security and enterprise development amongst the women agro-processors.
