This is not the first occasion in recent months that the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has signaled its intention to aggressively take the country’s tourism industry ‘on the road’ to markets both within and outside the country, its impetus deriving from the broader swathe of attention that the country has collared from its oil bonanza. In pursuit of its tourism promotion push, the state-run entity has focused its attention on efforts to upgrade pre-existing tourism-related infrastructure as well as to add to its existing inventory. The GTA’s push to parade the country as a visitor-friendly haven is manifested not just in the targeting of tourism-related infrastructure for resurrection and rehabilitation, and expanding on what exists, but also in its sending of what these days are pointed but measured ‘we’re ready’ messages to the international market.
It does so largely through the dissemination of messages that pointedly include its shoring up of existing tourism-friendly interior locations to creating new ones. The considerable rise in the country’s prominence as a visitor destination has also created a heightened level of attention to coastal facilities, not least, accommodation suitable for visitors. On Monday, the GTA issued a media release that sought to send a signal that it was in the process of executing an aggressive ‘road march’ designed to more assertively take the Guyana tourism product to key target markets. The announcement provided information on the GTA’s recent participation in the Third Edition of the Emerging Destinations Roadshow, an event, it said in its media release, that afforded it the opportunity to showcase “the best of Guyana’s travel experiences to audiences across North America.” The undertaking, it said, underscores its commitment to “promoting Guyana as a premier tourist destination on the global stage.”
With regard to the extent of its exposure, the GTA said that the trip to the United States allowed for Guyana’s participation in “eight events spanning eight cities… that brought together a total of 255 members of the travel trade” in an initiative designed to parade “the diverse offerings of Guyana.” For the GTA, ‘outings’ like the Emerging Destinations Roadshow adds value to the already pre-existing global attention that Guyana has already earned through it succession of ‘world class’ oil finds. What the GTA seemingly seeks to do is to use Guyana’s now global prominence as a visitor destination as one of the critical selling points for the country’s tourism industry. The GTA will be aware, however, that these days, it is batting on a much more convivial wicket, the ‘bounce’ of which has been rendered a great deal more reassuring, having been ‘tamed’ by the assurances offered by a country seemingly drifting into more assuring waters.
About its assignment in the United States, the GTA said that the Roadshow “provided a platform for the GTA to highlight key attractions, sustainable tourism initiatives, and unique experiences available in Guyana.” Its disclosure on its itinerary alluded to “interactive presentations and networking sessions” through which, it asserted, “attendees will gain valuable insights into the diverse array of opportunities awaiting travelers in Guyana.”
