With Guyana’s fast evolving oil and gas sector continuing to attract multi-faceted investor interest, both the government and the private sector are beginning to throw their weight behind the possibility this scrutiny will, in the not-too-distant future, be reflected in a surfeit of attention in the country’s tourism potential.
Last week came the disclosure that tourists keen to have a look at what Guyana has to offer in terms of visitor attractions will benefit from a new communication tool, a booking engine named Kaietour.com, a $60 million investment by Salaudeen Nasurudeen, described by Newsroom as a “Florida-based Guyanese technology entrepreneur”.
This announcement provides one of the earliest indications that the government may now be prepared to completely open the country’s doors to major investments in the tourism industry after repeated failures to attract the same over many years.
Kaietour.com seeks to open the door to greater numbers of international tourists wanting to visit Guyana to experience the country’s celebrated but largely underexplored eco-tourism sector.
A report on the launch of the new tourism communication tool said that the booking app can be found on the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
Using Kaietour.com potential visitors can locate, book and make payments for travel to Guyana. It is anticipated that long-celebrated interior land-marks, including the world-famous Kaieteur Falls, will benefit from enhanced international attention whilst generating revenue that will support the financing of expanded tourism infrastructure. According to Newsroom, the booking engine will facilitate the location of “a wide selection of flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, tour packages and taxi services.” The booking engine is also accessible to local tour operators, hotels, resorts, airlines, car rental companies.
The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce has been charged with raising the country’s tourism profile to ensure that the sector develops the level of infra-structure necessary to provide an adequate response to the anticipated increased visitor interest in Guyana; more particularly in the eco and wildlife tourism prospects afforded by the interior regions. The minister was quoted as saying at the launch of the service that it has “filled a gap” in the tourism industry whilst urging tour operators to optimise its use.
The investor anticipates that the service will come into its own as the country’s economy grows and as more prospective travellers seek out convenient services associated with planning visits to Guyana.
