As Guyana strives to rebuild and expand its tourism sector, a new online booking app has been launched to enable easier access by potential visitors from across the world to the country’s offerings.
The Kaietour app, which is already available for download by both Android and iOS users, is the creation of Florida-based Guyanese tech entrepreneur Salaudeen Nausrudeen, who says the platform would help to market Guyana’s tourism products to tourists and Guyanese themselves, allowing them to book flights, accommodations, tour packages and transportation.
“Kaietour was developed because we believed that Guyana’s tour operators were at a disadvantage, invisible to the world. We need to have our tourism inventory online to easily and efficiently reach tourists and our diaspora especially…and have the bookings not only reserved but confirmed,” Nausrudeen told attendees at the launch on Friday at Herdmanston Lodge, Georgetown.
“…Think about it: You searched your destination for a vacation or a hotel and it generates a host of options. That immediately gives you a sense of relief and trust that that country has its tourism products in place,” said Nausrudeen, who collaborated with Guyanese stakeholders, such as the Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI), Roraima Group of Company’s and Mobile Money Guyana (MMG), through which payments for services would be processed.
Nausrudeen, who said a sum of $60 million was spent develop over a period of 18 months, assured that it is credible and ready for tourists and other persons who would like to travel and visit Guyana. He also encouraged persons already here to use the app, whose services can also be accessed through the kaietour.com website.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the company said Nausrudeen plans to establish a global call center in Guyana, which will employ over 50 customer service agents and operational staff.
It added that its current global inventory includes over 900 airlines worldwide, flights from and to over 185 countries, connection to 500,000 hotels worldwide, hotels in more than 20,100 cities, over 18 car rental brands and car rentals in over 160 countries.
Several government and private sector representatives were in attendance at the launch. Among them was Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond, who applauded Nausrudeen on his creative initiative and thanked him for thinking about the tourism sector and how to further boost the country’s economy.
