As much as we all would like to see Guyana's tourism take off and contribute to exports and GDP, we've been hearing about his for over a decade now. So it's legitimate that Guyanese being skeptical and question if and how can it success in tourism.

We've seen the headlines for a long time now. How credible is this government in spurring tourism?

The govt is not spinning anything. It's a slow process but a very sure one in the near future. We don't have white sand beach and blue water to sell. We have our rain forest, rivers and streams, hiking and safaris, and jungle adventures that European would love. If we can get the airport expansion up and running, Guyana will see a large increase of European tourists.

Pity the fool who thinks that joining this organization will make tourists appear.  COPA senses a gap in the market and added GEO.  Will they expend much currency to promote Guyana to foreigners.  Hardly likely.  They will sooner promote to Guyanese to ship in Panama.

Until an eco/adventure tourists can go online and book his entire itinerary  online and feel confident that the service providers will be reliable Guyana will not develop a viable tourist industry.

When the PPP gets a Minister who understands tourism as the Caribbean islands which are serious about tourism do, then Guyana MIGHT move forward.  But with this clown who thinks that there will be flights from Dubai to GEO is just a laughing stock of the travel trade.

You have all of these things, but until you package and promote it other countries which also have these tourism assets will eat Guyana alive.  Including Suriname.

In 2013 there was NO GROWTH in tourism out of its major markets.  Indeed the US SHRUNK 17%.  Even Travelspan, which sells packages to the Caribbean, is only promoting its services on the GEO route to Guyanese!

In fact the entry of Dynamic into the GEO market all but kills the prospects of a major US carrier looking at GEO.  They are not going to waste their time competing against charter outfits.  The low end tourists who use charters don't travel to places like Guyana.  Aruba is more to their liking.

Guyana wooing European tourists

June 9, 2014 By admin

Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali being greeted by UNWTO’s Secretary General Taleb Rifai at the World Tourism Organisation Head Office in Spain

 

He pointed out that recently, the arrival of Copa Airlines in Guyana has brought the possibility of Guyana reaching tourism markets in Latin and South America.

 

If I ask Irfaan why should South Americans visit Guyana will he even know.  Most of these nations have their own Amazonian assets, so what has Guyana to offer them?  Of course that even assumes that they are interested in this kind of tourism, as from what I know they like beaches, casinos, shopping and nightlife.  Guyana's offerings in that regard are slim to none.

Well, our minister is not sitting on his fat ass. He's a go getter. Little by little, Guyana will achieve its own success in tourism.

Snakeman, it's been over a decade now we've been hearing how great Guyana's tourism is going to be great. Suriname has a better tourism infrastructure than Guyana - and no white sand beaches and blue water. Costa Rica did it big time, whither Guyana?

No he is running around like a chicken without a head and people in the travel trade are laughing at him.

Tell the PPP to get a Minister who has a clue because he doesn't.  Tourism is a sophisticated industry, even more complex for countries like Guyana without the traditional assets.

He should look at what Suriname is doing instead of making himself look like a jackass!

Daily flights to Barbados from Ogle airport is starting to see small numbers of Caribbean nationals traveling to Guyana. The word will get around and more will come especially if the air fare is reasonable. Guyana has many things that are inexpensive compare to the prices in Barbados. We can expect small time traders traveling back and forth. Hotels and restaurants will benefit

He is globe trotting and vacationing at the expense of the tax payers.

Small time traders - is that your idea of tourism development, eco or otherwise? Tsk, tsk, tsk......

I am willing to bet the pessimists that Guyana will surpassed its expectation in the tourism industry in the near future.

Caribbean peoploe always traveled to Guyana in SMALL numbers.  What pipe are you smoking?

You bet that the PPP would have won 60% of the votes too, but they get 49%.

I meet several people who express an interest in visiting Guyanam because it is unknown to them, and they find the cultural diversity of Guyanese to be fascinating.

It all ends when they try to get packages and express extreme difficulty, find that we dont have a properly structured tourist product.  So they travel instead to Belize, another exotic nation.

Guyana has the potential. but with morons leading that nation that is what it will remain.  POTENTIAL.

Small traders do stay in smaller hotels, and their expenditures might be surprisingly high for the few days that they are in Guyana. 

Problem is that they ALWAYS came to Guyana buying gold, even in the 70s when Guyana had no interest in tourism.

And with Guyana's reputation for crime and teh filth of G/twn these numbers arent likely to grow.  Ask a Trini about traveling to Guyana and they will look at you and ask "what it have in Guyana, other than snakes, for me to go there?"

Caribny, why are you calling the PPP morons? Do you know of any tourism industry under Burnham or the PNC. Was there any oil exploration in Guyana under Burnham or the PNC. When you want to kill an idea that will blossom under the PPP, you must tell us who did better than them in the past. Put your money where your mouth is.

Don't you think that after 22 years you ought to stop blaming the PNC for the PPPs incompetency.  You are like an adult who blames his parents for his failures.

Irfaan Ali knows NOTHING about tourism.  So he chats horse manure and doesnt listen to people who know.  The private sector is now tired of this, and are now having to sell or close their facilities.  And there is MORE of this to come.

Airlines dont bring tourists.  They provide seats and will fill them the easiest way, which is getting Guyanese on board.  Until Guyana gets serious we will have having this conversation. 

It has been !4 years since Conde Naste listed Guyana as a new destination for the 21st century.  No development since, despite that excellent PR opportunity!

In the 70s (Burnham's time) there were two commodities' price spikes 71-73 for oil and 74-76 for most primary commodities, including sugar (which led to Burnham's trigger for nationalizing Booker Holdings). The oil spikes led to oil exploration in some countries and Guyana was not on their radar for technology and cost reasons. When oil went up during the financial collapse of 2008 then there was a resurgence in other parts of the world. So it would be useless to pin a lack of oil exploration under the PNC asa fault. Also Guyana under the PPP has had the benefit of technology and investment and we haven't done anything on oil yet.

As far as tourism is concerned, the supply side in the 70s was not a problem, so countries like Guyana had no incentive to get into that market. With eco-tourism this then became viable. Again the PPP has the benefit of a supply side incentive and guess what? They've failed to capitalize so far.

cobra you just opend a can of worms to make the PPP look bad. Yuh happy?

You and that pot bellied crook can lie to yourselves all you want; Spanish folks are not coming. They and all Mediterranean folks want Club Ibiza lifestyle so they are not coming. Th few nerds who want t he rainforest experience also have more proximal destinations. Guyana might as well be the south pole to most Spaniards. I know the spanish intimately and Guyana and its filth is the last place they want to come to especially now they are also just as broke as Greece.

He is just taking a vacation on the Guyanese poor. 10 years from now and no Spaniard will be there looking for the scene.

Actually tourists are interested in prancing through rainforests.  Even ANGUILLA has eco tours (maybe to see cactus).

The problem is that its only the extreme adventurers who are going to go to the trouble to arrange these tours on their own. And thes etend to be the back packers who are looking for some guest house in Tiger BAY!  That is if any exist.

The remaining people tend to be very busy high end types who dont have the time to construct their own intinerary.  They want a tour operator to do so, as well as to verify the safety and reliability of the service providers.

If they are from the EU they will also sue the pants off any provider who fails to deliver, and that can mean sending a plane to Kaieteur on Tues rather than Monday.  Dear Irfaan doesnt know this!

Irfaan is a little man who knows nothing about tourism and those who do in Belize, Costa Rica and elsewhere are laughimng at him, and remain assured that Guyana isnt going to be a competitor in the near future.

Also eco tours tend to be done by either hippie type back packers (we dont want those) or very high end folks whose lives are so comfortable that they wish some roughness.  Newly affluent countries like Spain arent part of this, so you are correct.  It will be Germany, the BENELUX, France and the UK where some potential exists.

But Guyana isnt ready as any one who visits tripadvisor will know.

Willing to bet if some one asked Irfaan what tripadvisor was he wouldnt know.

Explain it. I doan know what it is?

In Costa Rica, the other day a serpent bit a Canadian Tourist. The quickly flew the man out of the country. What will happen if that should happen in Guyana.

These are the things that the govt needs to have in mind.  Rainforest tours bring their dangers and 1st world people have high expectations.

Tripadvisor is a forum where people post reviews about countries, hotels, restaurants, etc.  Now that people arent usingt travel agents as mkuch its a go to place for people to see what service providers are reliable.

Only problem is that few people visit Guyana so there are relatively few posts.

Also the one easily accessable tour operator which offers Guyana tours, Wilderness Explorers, charges way more for Guyana than it does for Suriname.  Given that the tours dont include airfare, guess where Europeans will visit.  Suriname which is easily accessed from Amsterdam NONSTOP.

Do you get paid to criticized people for doing their job and calling it vacation? Thank God no one is paying you to get off your ass and do something to benefit Guyana.

Maybe you Mudheads in Hubu Backdam never heard of oil exploration in Guyana but that does not mean that it wasn't happening. Home Oil of Canada was doing exploration in Guyana along with a few other companies.

See Page 11

http://www.olade.org/sites/def...%C3%B3n%20Foster.pdf

the Gy government has no idea of how to sell tourism or what it is. I am tired of the talk and patting themselves on the back but no action. If they want to sell tourism then stop playing petty politics and start cleaning up GT.

Maintain and paint the beautiful buildings that bring tourists to GT such as the St. Georges Cathedral, City Hall, the Zoo. Put in AC at the crossing to Suriname at Molsen creek.

Have knowledgeable and polite people at the exit and entry points to and from the country. An entire package can be built on villages and towns and the history of Gy based on the names alone...French..Dutch...English...First Peoples...

Train tour guides about the history of GT and other old structures and ruins in Gy. Build packages about the history of places such as the Lighthouse, The chimney in Chateau Margot, Stabroek Market, the ruins of the old forts around Gy and maintian the structures  (they need to visit Paramaribo and the old buildings and forts there and see how well they are maintained)....create  attractive and  informative brochures about all of these things...provide hospitality training to people working in the industry

The politician(s) that talk about tourism as though they have a clue (and a professional product) are just a bunch of two bit fools seeking to pat themselves on the back...traveling to other countries to meet with organizations and report back shit to the Guyanese people may be a tour package for them but does nothing for tourism in Gy. Many of these idiots used to shit in latrines and wash their asses with their hands and now they are trying to pass the shit to other Guyanese... 

I am sick of these fools...I do not want to hear another word about tourism from them until they actually have a finished professional product to sell to tourists...and I am not speaking of professional packages built by private tour operators but something the government actually developed...

This has nothing to do with politics cause I hate the shit...it is just a friggin con game.... Guyanese politicians please shut up until you have a professional product you developed 

I am so freaking mad!!!

one more thing..how about developing the waterfront in GT with restaurants and Cafes etc? friggin idiots have no idea!

This topic is about tourism. Let's get back to basic and stop the hating and teeth grinding.

Depends. If he was bitten on his..ahem...pecker, oneadem PPP boys woulda suck out the poison.

Why derass you talkin about a dream still?

Simples.. this administration has been in power for 22 yrs (the previous one for 28 yrs)...GT has a big waterfront...what have they done on the waterfront to attract tourists? Think Guy...it's right before our very eyes and talk is cheap...smh

Tony Thorne is in the UK pushing Guyana every year at the WTM. Airfares and lack of direct flts are the biggest obstacle. Many Germans go to Venezuela for Roraima and Canaima/Angel falls. There was some attempt by the embassy here to link up Santa Elena to Lethem via Brazil so that the tourist could go overland and spend a few days in Guyana also, I don't know what happened to these talks.

You hit it on the head.  Read the tripadvisor reviews and the few who do come are in and out of Guyana for a few days.  2 days in G/t which terrifies them because it is so run down.  A few days in the interior, because it doesn't lend itself to lengthy stays and malaria is an ever present danger.  Then off to P'bo.  Guyana has all the historic and some of the cultural assets of Suriname and yet we ignore it, I suspect because we don't value it.

Airlift isn't an issue because most Euros will visit more than one country and indeed the Guyanas Tours can be a hit.  Problem is the few structured tours into Guyana are EXPENSIVE, and don't allow the flexibility that some people might prefer.

Suriname and Fr Guyane have excellent connections to Europe,  the draw back will be the poor transportation links between the Guyanas.  Not every tourist once to jump into some crowded van with the natives and the potential for unreliability that this causes.

The hardy few backpackers do get to Guyana from Venezuela via Brazil, but we must be aware that these are very low yielding types.  More interesting will be the more high end eco adventure types but then there must be quality and reliable product development, competitive pricing (Guyana is VERY expensive) and then promote.

But Irfaan thinks that Emirates will land a big jet at GEO instead of Sao Paulo, and that Copa will bring innocent Colombians to visit Guyana.   Oh and that high end adventure tourists are going to fly Travelspan and Dynamic Air to GEO.

The travel trade in Belize and Costa Rica are rollicking with laughter at this idiot!

They also used to embarrass poor Janet Jagan at state dinners when the US and Brazilian ambassadors and the UK and Canada High Commissioners looked in askance while the folks tried to eat the food with their fingers, bending over the plate, belching and slurping, and wiping the sauce with the bread (in lieu of roti).

She immediately sent ALL of them to learn about how to behave like civilized late 20th century people.  Their teachers were PNC MPs.

Yet these poor ass PPP folks whose salaries aren't that great really think that they can tell us that they are fabulously wealthy, but never stole a penny.  No wonder Cheddi had a heart attack when he saw the monsters who he had created!

So you would prefer us to laugh at Irfaan like the Belizeans and Costa Ricans?

The sea wall is right there!  St Croix has their garbage rum and tourists ooh and aah when taken on tours.  Ditto the Euro tourists in Martinique where the rum tastes like metal.

We prefer our rum, rated several times as the world's best (El Dorado AND XM) and keep it secret.

There is enough in Guyana to keep a tourist quite busy and one their biggest assets, Stabroek Market, is filthy, collapsing and wracked with crime!

They also ought to shut down that zoo or get sme international group to adpt it, because some group of animal lovers is going to arrange a boycott about cruelty to animals.  You don't keep large animals in small cages.  I am sure that they can arrange something via those Iworkrama folks to find some folks to re build the zoo into something more modern.