Guyana Tourism Authority wraps up May trainings in Moraikobai and Karasabai
─ 48 persons trained in Delivering Quality Service and First Aid & CPR
Georgetown, Guyana – Monday, May 27, 2019
The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has successfully conducted two trainings in Delivering Quality Service and First Aid & CPR to 25 residents of Moraikobai, Region 5 on May 2 – 5, 2019 and to 23 residents of Karasabai, Region 8 on May 13 – 15, 2019.
The GTA is committed towards developing community-led and owned tourism by providing the relevant training programmes and assistance to prepare villages like Moraikobai and Karasabai to independently host travellers. These trainings are geared towards enabling just that.
Deborah Clementson, GTA’s Training Officer, conducted three days of training in Delivering Quality Service to 13 participants in Moraikobai, while Davina Layne, GTA’s Manager of Training, Licensing & Operations, conducted three days of training in Delivering Quality Service to 11 persons in Karasabai. This training programme, designed by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), is geared towards educating participants on the importance of tourism in Guyana and the neighbouring regions, understanding and respecting cultural differences, and the 10 principles and the importance of delivering quality service to travellers.
The First Aid & CPR Training resulted in 12 persons from Moraikobai trained in basic first aid, including the A-Z of first aid treatment and emergency procedures such as CPR. An additional 12 persons from Karasabai were trained in basic first aid. The participants were further given instruction in disaster preparedness. The two-day session in both communities was conducted by Ms. Deon Worrell of St. John Association of Guyana who made use of practical, hands-on scenarios involving coaching participants to maximise their individual skills and teach them how to work as a team. Through this, participants will be able to implement a coordinated response in emergency scenarios which will ultimately build confidence to respond to incidents where time is of the essence, significantly reducing the potential for fatalities.
The GTA is committed to providing guidance to the Moraikobai Tourism Committee to help them create a successful tourism enterprise through the creation of day tour and overnight packages and marketing their tourism product. In February, Kamrul Baksh, GTA’s Senior Product Development and Certification Officer and a representative of Rainforest Tours visited Moraikobai to conduct Tour Guiding Training with tourism stakeholders. GTA also conducted a participatory consultation with various tourism stakeholders and completed the Tourism Baseline Assessment to draft the Moraikobai Tourism Action Plan.
Most notably, with assistance from the Projects Department within the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs (MOIPA), Moraikobai has already embarked on the construction of a lodge. Once completed, nature enthusiasts, birders and those interested in sports fishing will be welcomed to enjoy the beauty of Moraikobai. Although a project deadline has not been finalised, the Moraikobai Tourism Committee is confident that the lodge will be completed by the end of the year.
GTA also has a sport fishing training guide scheduled for May 27 – 30 in the village of Warapoka in Region 1. Warapoka is also one of the four highlighted communities for community-led and owned tourism development in the 2019-2025 through the partnership between the GTA and MOIPA.
For more information, please visit www.guyanatourism.com, contact Nicola Balram at nicola@guyanatourism.com, or call (592) 219-0093 or (592) 624-0410.
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About the Guyana Tourism Authority. The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is a semi-autonomous governmental organisation responsible for developing and promoting sustainable tourism in Guyana through collaboration with sister agencies and the tourism private sector in order to maximise local socio-economic and conservation outcomes and improve the visitors’ experience. The GTA is focused on Guyana becoming recognised locally and internationally as a premier destination for protecting its natural and cultural heritage, providing authentic experiences, and maximising local economic benefits. For more information, visit www.guyanatourism.com or call (592) 219-0094.