GTA laying foundation to boost tourism in Region Six
As part of the government’s efforts to enhance Guyana’s tourism products, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is working continuously to improve tourism in Region Six.
The purpose of the initiative is to encourage domestic tourism by promoting visits to local sites across Guyana.
Training and Tourism Development Officer at GTA, Chetnauth Persaud underscored, “there are so many other things that are coming in the pipeline. And once, time permits and all these cricket carnival activities are over with, we’ll definitely gonna come down to Region Six to start moving more and more into tourism.”
He was at the time speaking at the unveiling of the tourism mural at the Guyana/Suriname ferry port at Moleson Creek, Corentyne, on Tuesday.
“We have so much more things coming to Berbice. So, don’t worry, this is just the start of it. And we’ll continue to give support to our Region Six partners, our tourism committee.”
Persaud encouraged everyone to continue being tourism ambassadors by showcasing all Guyana has to offer. He said ambassadors could share photos, videos, and positive information about Guyana, keeping a clean environment, and educating themselves about the various products of the country.
Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI) on the sidelines of the event, Manager of Training and Licensing at GTA, Tamika Inglis highlighted that the Moleson Creek ferry port was selected as the ideal spot for the mural since it is a tourism site.
“What we try to do is do activities in every region. So, this was selected because we wanted to have something not so difficult…It (the mural) was done before world tourism day but we were thinking what activities we can have in Berbice for world tourism day. And this one was selected for this event.
“We just wanted something to commemorate World Tourism Day. But how does it represent Guyana? And I think this mural does justice to Guyana, culture wise.”
Inglis noted that the mural can assist to boost tourism in Guyana since tourists may inquire about the various elements within the mural.
“So, when persons come and they see the beautiful mural, they may be interested and intrigued by the design…where can I be a part of this. Where can I explore Guyana by looking at this beautiful mural? That’s why we try to depict so many things within the mural…We capture everything so everybody can have a chance to see something.”
By doing this, she explained that tourists would return to explore and enjoy Guyana.
“We’re connected with the port and the terminal so anybody can call the Guyana Tourism Authority, and everybody there will be willing and able to say these are the places you can go, these are the tour operators or these are the tour guides that you can connect with, to enjoy the beauty of Guyana.”
World Tourism Day was celebrated under the theme ‘Rethinking tourism’.
The integration of the mural at the ferry port will greatly support the development and maintenance of cultural identity, long-term economic growth, and the creation of a feeling of community.