Guyana’s tourism on the road to recovery

-‘one of the hottest destinations on the planet’ -Minister Walrond

-$185M for Tourism and Hospitality Institute

– $30M for training

Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Hon. Oneidge Walrond says Guyana cannot wait until there is high demand before starting construction on hotels and other tourist facilities as it expects an influx of business and other visitors here in the near future, despite Covid.

The Minister made this statement during the Budget debate in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

“Guyana is one of the hottest destinations on Planet Earth.  The fact is that even in the midst of the pandemic, our higher-end hotels do not have enough rooms,” she said.

Minister Walrond was at the time responding to criticism from the Opposition that the Government was building hotels when no one is travelling. She reminded the Assembly building hotels is a years-long process in some cases; from the vision to the mobilising of finances, construction and finishing, and it is important to plan now to realise the bright future ahead for the nation.

Further, she said, the sector is also showing signs of revival, due to the measures that the Government has employed to buttress the economy and propel its recovery from the impact of Covid.  

Minister Walrond said the PPP/C administration has noted the devastating impact the pandemic has had on the sector, leaving thousands unemployed, and on unpaid leave while forcing businesses into debt.

“Being cognisant of the fact that thousands of Guyanese and their families, depend on the sector for their well-being, our administration was proactive.   Six months later, I can state categorically that Guyana’s tourism is on the road to recovery and undoubtedly will make a full recovery in time to come.”

In taking steps to reopen tourism, the Government was mindful of the safety of the sector operators and employees and it facilitated training for the new Covid environment. 

“Training was conducted across the country and as Minister responsible for Tourism, I am confident that we are much more prepared to safely welcome visitors to our tourism destinations,” she said.

Thirty million dollars has been allocated in Budget 2021 for more training in the sector. This sum would better position the Ministry to keep abreast with evolving trends within the sector and ensure that it meets the expectations of guests and visitors.

Minister Walrond said Budget 2021 also provides an allocation of $185 million for the establishment of a Tourism and Hospitality Institute, to train workers for the industry.

Promoting and developing domestic tourism would remain on the front burner for the Ministry and the Government. This is the second strategy the Ministry employed to revive the sector, which stemmed from the strong working relationship it established with the regional tourism bodies.

Regional tourism committees and other stakeholders were encouraged to develop niches within their respective communities, and the Ministry began a campaign to encourage Guyanese to explore various areas across the country, in keeping with the Covid precautionary measures. This initiative breathed life into the sector as Guyanese responded and began to travel.

“I know it has been the cry of many Guyanese that local travel can be expensive. In direct response, we removed value-added tax from hinterland travel, making it more affordable for the average Guyanese to experience the beauty and splendour of our country,” Minister Walrond said.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has been working closely with stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the health and sanitisation protocols, which are prerequisites for receiving conditional approval from the COVID-19 Task Force for safe reopening.

The Tourism Minister said that to date, over 23 tourism business have received approval and are back in operation.  As such, the Ministry and Government will “continue to proactively work towards the full reopening of the sector, secure in the knowledge that our people are adequately prepared, and that the necessary systems are in place to keep us all safe.”

Direct support was given to Amerindian communities and stakeholders within the tourism sector. The Ministry distributed sanitisation supplies to equip those directly involved with the tools to ensure their safety.

In 2020, approximately $47 million was spent on preparedness supplies, health and sanitation training benefitting a total of 39 Amerindian communities in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Seven and Nine.

Minister Walrond said that another $12 million will be spent in 2021 to support 10 more communities with their recovery plans as tourism reopens to the international market.

“This is part of our direct intervention, one built of empathy, concern and foresight. A decision premised on the fact that the first step to recovery was to determine a way to remain safe,” she said.

The $383.1 billion 2021 Budget was presented under the theme “A Path to Recovery, Economic Dynamism and Resilience.”