As Guyana works to revive its tourism sector, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Carla James yesterday said the country is well positioned to accommodate travel and tourism activities under the new norms of COVID-19.
The sector ground to a halt last year due to the pandemic and travel restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus, which James said saw an estimated $32.8 billion lost, with international visitor arrivals declining by 75% and 4,600 workers being laid off.
During a press conference on the reopening of the tourism industry on Friday morning, James noted that the GTA has been working with stakeholders to build capacity in hygiene and sanitation protocols as well as to raise awareness with COVID-19 campaigns.
“Guyana is actually well positioned for travelling in the new norm. We were in this position even before COVID-19. And the reason for that is our tours are done in vast open spaces and it’s not a mass tourism destination so there are no crowds… group tours are done is small groups ranging eight to 10 persons,” James said, before adding that these numbers are in line with the typical accommodation at most resorts.
According to James, Guyana’s low population density has been a positive for sector as the number of COVID-19 cases remains low in rural areas as opposed to Region Four, where the numbers are high due to the dense population.
James added that in addition to a strong commitment by the government to the industry, the key actions taken to revive the industry include close collaboration between the public and private sectors, and increased marketing and communication to international markets.
To prepare the industry for reopening, she noted that safety protocols have been integrated into newly conceived and existing training, and there are on-site inspection and verification of implemented protocols. Approved businesses were granted “Safe for travel” certification.
The approval criteria were designed in keeping with guidelines from the World Tourism Organization and through partnerships with the National COVID-19 Task Force, the Ministry of Health and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
She added that while some European countries, such as the United Kingdom, still have active travel bans in place, the GTA has been working with marketing agencies to keep selling Guyana as a destination. She noted that it is also gauging border reopenings in preparation for international visitors.
Meanwhile, during the engagement, stakeholder Melanie McTurk stressed that while the industry is targeting international tourists, domestic travelers can also significantly contribute. She pointed out that more travel and visits by locals to eco-lodges and resorts can help to sustain the tourism industry. While it may seem to be an insignificant contribution, she said local travelers have the potential to keep the industry alive.
Adding to this, James stressed that the tourism body is directing attention towards domestic travel as they are seeking to create specialized packages for local travellers.
“…They are interested in very different things than international travellers, so we’re spending a great deal of time in diversifying our existing products to meet their needs,” she observed.
Meanwhile, Annarie Seecharan, GTA’s Senior Manager of Destination Marketing, disclosed that campaigns have been designed to promote the reopening of the industry.
She noted that the GTA has been working with stakeholders and providing them with the opportunities to market their products through interviews on radio and television and via the agency’s newsletter features.
The tourism body, she said, has been working on four campaigns to target both domestic and international travelers, including a “Welcome Back to Guyana” campaign for which they will release a four part series of videos featuring locals welcoming travellers back to the country. The videos will also highlight activities and experiences based on nature and wildlife, exploration, culture and heritage and birding.
Seecharran said that the videos will be released throughout March.
In a bid to promote Guyana as being a safe destination for travel and leisure, the GTA will also produce a video chronicling the journey of an incoming passenger and highlight all safety measures that were put in place. The video will also share some of the experiences of travellers during their stay in Guyana.
Further, Seecharan pointed out that they will be collaborating with local tourism guide Visit Guyana to feature tourism opportunities here via social media under the ReDiscover Home campaign.
Seecharran also pointed out that they will soon launch videos promoting Guyana as an “Adventure in Birding,” destination. In this campaign, she stated that they will be working with James Currie, a popular birding enthusiast and Josh Liberman, to promote birding hotspots throughout the country.
