Tourism to play vital role in Guyana’s new wave of economic development
A NEW wave of economic development has been unfolding in Guyana as a result of the discovery of oil and natural gas in that CARICOM nation.
The find is estimated to be worth at least US$150 billion and signs of the new wealth are everywhere: spanking new buildings, new and refreshed infrastructure, a surge in start-up businesses, Exxon ads in prominent places and a wave of technical support personnel rushing in from Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and elsewhere to support oil, gas and allied industries.
The tourism and hospitality sectors are projected for fast-track growth.
Kamrul Baksh, head of the Guyana Tourism Authority, speaking with The Gleaner at his Georgetown offices recently, was very upbeat and optimistic about the forecast for unprecedented growth in the country’s tourist industry. His elation, it appeared, was anchored in strong indicators. Last year, the country saw 319,000 arrivals, making it the best year ever for the sector.
“Guyana offers a range of very unique travel experiences. We’re more than the transactional tours, and we are more immersive, providing a mix of nature, adventure and culture without the push and shove,” Baksh sought to explain when asked what pull so many travellers to the South American outpost.
More than 80 per cent of Guyana’s 83,000 square miles is covered in rainforest. The country is actually one of the last frontiers of pristine rain forest in the world, enabling it to yield an astonishing variety of wildlife across its vast space. Within the area of wildlife, large cats, reptiles, birds of prey, fresh water fish and rodents are among the offerings.
“We have over 820 species of birds and so we actively promote Guyana as a birding destination,” Baksh stated. “Rivers and waterfalls too are a big part of our attractions including the Essequibo river, the third-largest river in South America and Kaieteur Waterfalls, the highest single drop waterfall in the world, plunging 741 ft, four time higher than Niagara Falls. We’ve been working with the private sector to develop more adventure activities that will include hiking, mountain biking and wilderness safaris with an emphasis on small, personalised groups,” he told The Gleaner.
ECONOMIC GROWTH
The tourism director made it clear that tourism will be a major part of the current economic growth following on the oil and natural gas discovery that has thrown the country into the global spotlight.
“Ten new hotels are being built right now, including a few leading American brands like the AC Marriott, and they are being strategically placed across the country, not clustered in one location,” Baksh divulged. “This will add over 1,000 new rooms to the national inventory. One of the traditional hotels, the Pegasus, has just seen a multi-million dollar expansion with spanking new five-star suites that will cater to leisure and business travellers.”
With cash in hand, Guyana is also rapidly becoming the new epicentre for popular cultural entertainment in the Caribbean, and plane loads of visitors are now coming in to see premium acts, including a steady roster of reggae and dancehall artistes who are performing there at regular intervals. Burna Boy, Nigy Boy, Busy Signal and Tanya Stephens were just there performing and hotels and flights were sold out.
When asked about airlift, the tourism director, who is a University of the West Indies tourism and hospitality graduate, shared good news.
“We’ve been able to get British Airways back to Guyana after a 40-year absence from the local runways. United Airlines just launched a new service from Texas and we continue to enjoy service from American Airlines and JetBlue to support our numberone market, North America. Our number-two market is the Caribbean region, and we now have SKYHigh from the Dominican Republic doing three flights per week and, of course Caribbean Airlines, our long-standing partner for decades.”
The city of Georgetown is served by two international airports, and Trans Guyana Airways handles much of the traffic to the interior and Suriname.
Guyana’s former prime minister and current ambassador of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to the United States in Washington, Samuel A. A. Hinds is equally upbeat about the future of tourism. “Our country is truly a treasured gem for travellers and we expect the rapid growth in this sector, especially in ecotourism, to continue in the foreseeable future,” he stated confidently.