Guyana featured among Conde Nast holiday destinations for 2021

For the second year in a row, global travel magazine ‘Condé Nast Traveler’ has listed Guyana as one of its top 20 destinations to visit in 2021. Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Carla James says the feature is as a result  of the Authority’s marketing efforts internationally,  which has continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guyana is listed at Number 17, in the magazine’s “Best Holiday Destinations for 2021.

“We are responsible for that. We have been working with market representatives, so they constantly engage Travel magazines …  to ensure that Guyana [is at the top of]   the line for travellers when it is permitted. So we are very pleased that they were able to secure that,” James  told DPI.

Other countries that made the list includes Greece, Indonesia,  Costa Rica, Finland, Australia, among others and the continent of South Africa.

Only last year, Guyana made the Condé Nast list of “20 Best Places to go in 2020”.

This year, the country is featured under the heading, “Guyana-Paving the way for Indigenous-Led Conservation,” and is described as “an invigorating place to explore”.

Guyana’s “cinematic” waterfalls and eco-lodges, were listed among some of main attractions that should bring tourists to these shores.

The magazine also noted the country’s diverse population and plethora of natural bounty, observing that “Guyana’s crowning glory is its focus on Indigenous-led conservation,” which puts the power back into the hands of its first peoples”.

The Makushi­-led eco-tourism effort in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) was also recognised.  “Many have created eco-lodges of their own, where you can listen out for the sound of monkeys as you bed down at night, and from which expert local guides offer explorations of the surrounding Amazon rainforest, in search of giant anteaters, river otters, monkey-eating harpy eagles and jaguars,” the magazine stated.

Guyana’s tourism product, which is largely dependent on international visitations, has been severely impacted by the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic illness has resulted in international travel bans, bringing the sector to a grinding halt.  

In response,  key stakeholders in the sector have collaborated to form a Tourism Recovery Action Committee (TRAC) to address the impact of the pandemic on the sector.  The Committee comprises representatives  from the Department of Tourism, the GTA, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and the Small Business Bureau.

The GTA Director  had indicated early on that the GTA’s focus was on improving the quality of services offered to rebound  stronger.