GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Oct. 01, 2014 – As Guyana continues to gain international attention through its unique diverse blend of cultures, efforts are being made to expand Community Based Tourism (CBT) and to ensure that more communities benefit from this drive.
This is according to Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Irfaan Ali.
The Minister said he would like to call attention to strides made in Guyana to advance CBT. He pointed to a five – year Hinterland Tourism Development Plan, initiated in 2013, which focuses on tourism opportunities, economic, social and environmental benefits, culture and heritage preservation, investment opportunities and training within specific areas.
Through marketing, Amerindian villages and other communities across Guyana are promoted as adventure, eco and culture destinations via film and television productions, and through publications such as sport fishing and birding where viewership and readership are wide.
In addition, some communities like the Rewa, Maipiama and Surama Eco Lodges, are owned and managed by villagers, and as such are model examples of community- based tourism projects.
CBTs offers tourists an amazing experience with nature, the Minister said, and added that the community members of these villages are directly involved in the decision making process and are given the chance to become part of the tourism value chain.
Minister Ali said these villagers are a crucial element of the tourism product and play a key role in the development and delivery of this product. Consequently, tourism becomes a channel of social cohesion, going beyond the immediate impact of job creation and its positive economic consequences and enhances.
Thus, the Minister said, “The Government has constantly been encouraging its populace to embrace the concept of community tourism, as we are optimistic that it can bring in substantial revenue to boost their economies.” With CBTs, tourism dollars go directly into the communities to assist with development and conservation in the region.
Ali said Guyana has also been on the progressive frontier of advancing its eco-tourism product and has been the most outstanding sustainable tourism destination in the Region several years in succession. This year Guyana received an honourable mention at the CTO Travel Mole awards for Rewa.
Tourism has been climbing the ladder of importance in Guyana over the past years. There are a number of activities taking place in favour of the industry to boost its prominence.
Of recent, in the area of bird watching, representatives from Guyana attended the International British Bird Watching Fair in Rutland England. It was subsequently disclosed that there are number of international birding companies selling destination Guyana and in addition, a vast number of companies interested in adding Guyana to their marketing lists.
