Guyana hotel market turning a corner
15 November 2011
By Nicholas Gill
HotelNewsNow.com contributor
Source - Hotel News Now
Story Highlights
* Georgetown has landed the first Marriott Hotel in the Caribbean and Latin America with LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
* Guyana’s tourism industry is experiencing a period of dynamic investment and growth.
* While business travel is almost entirely concentrated in the capital city, there has been consistent growth outside of Georgetown in the form of ecolodges.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana—Ongoing hotel growth in the capital of Georgetown and a growing number of eco-friendly jungle lodges in the interior are catching the attention of investors in this little known South American nation.
The country, about the size of Great Britain, is aiming to become the next Costa Rica as it has adopted a low carbon development strategy that is committed to sustainable tourism development. Norway has committed to providing financial support of up to US$250 million by 2015 for results achieved by Guyana in limiting emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
“We are maintaining over 99.5% of our forest cover; Norway is paying Guyana for climate services we provide,” said President Bharrat Jagdeo to the United Nations in September. “We are using some of these payments to eliminate 92% of our energy-related emissions, and we are using the rest of the payments, coupled with domestic resources, to shift our entire economy onto a low-carbon, low-deforestation, climate-resilient trajectory.”
New hotel projects reflect this campaign, with the most significant news centering on Georgetown landing the first Marriott Hotel in the Caribbean and Latin America with LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. After a series of delays the hotel now stands to be on track for a 2013 opening, said Paula Butler, spokeswoman for Marriott International.
“Every project takes time, and this project is no different than most,” Butler said, adding that the project will have 201 rooms, making it the largest hotel in the country, as well as a 75,000-square-foot entertainment complex with a casino, restaurant and nightclub.
“Georgetown is the capital city and a vibrant center for development in Latin America,” Butler said. “The hotel's LEED certification is due to Marriott's, as well as the country of Guyana's, commitment to the environment.”
Growing industry
Guyana’s tourism industry is experiencing a period of dynamic investment and growth. Visitor arrivals have grown from 57,400 in 1999 to more than 116,000 in 2005, according to the Guyana Tourism Authority. Tourism receipts (or exports) amounted to more than US$35 million in 2005. Of the country’s 2,616 rooms in 2011, occupancy rates stood at approximately 55% in Georgetown and 80% in the Rupununi Savannah, where the majority of ecolodges can be found.
“It is generally better now to build hotels in Guyana than it was five years ago,” said Indranauth Haralsingh, director of the Guyana Tourism Authority. “There is a greater understanding now of the need to invite investors to be part of the development of Guyana and so the government, through the Guyana Office for Investment, has increased the benefits for any investor who is interested in building a tourism facility, which include, but are not limited to, technical assistance and duty-free concessions. Also, the Ministry of Housing and Water has allocated land across several parts of the country as tourism areas, areas that are prime spots for constructing hotels and other accommodation properties.
“Guyana being the only country in South America with its official language as English serves as an advantage for persons from United States, Europe and the Caribbean,” Haralsingh said. “The time is right for investment in the country, which is being recognized as a leader in the low carbon development strategy and which is being lauded for its leaps and bounds made on the international platform for its efforts in sustainable tourism initiatives.”
The ongoing expansion of Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the addition of daily flights to JFK via Trinidad from Caribbean Airlines are helping to ease air travel. The addition of a new state-of-the-art convention center in Georgetown in 2005 near the CARICOM Secretariat building and a National stadium in 2007, which helped land six matches of the Cricket World Cup, have also helped increase growth.
Business versus leisure
While business travel is almost entirely concentrated in the capital city, consistent growth has blossomed outside of Georgetown in the form of ecolodges, of which several are located within indigenous communities and national parks.
Nature tourism to Guyana has benefitted greatly from the lack of development in the country. The rare wildlife of the Guiana Shield is rather abundant. Animals such as giant river otters, jaguars, caimans, and the Harpy eagle are frequently spotted while mostly unheard of in other parts of the Amazon basin. Kaieteur Falls, known to be the highest single drop waterfall in the world and five times taller than Niagara Falls, also lures steady human traffic via daily flights.
The Iwokrama Rainforest and Rupununi Savannah are the most active regions for eco-tourism. An important lure has been the Iwokrama canopy walkway, a series of suspension bridges spanning 505 feet in length nearly 100 feet above the rainforest floor. Jointly managed by the Makushi community at Surama and two private sector businesses, Rock View Lodge and tour operator Wilderness Explorers, the walkway has become a rallying point for the surrounding communities and lodges to add rooms and invest in their facilities.
“At first it was difficult to get the community on board, but eventually they began to see the benefits,” said Sydney Allicock, chair of the North Rupununi District Development board and director of Surama Ecolodge.
Allicock explained that when ecotourists began showing up in the community, paying locals to show them birds and wildlife, they couldn’t believe it.
Now 60% of the community’s income is generated through sustainable tourism-related activities, and Surama has become an international model for indigenous development projects. Guides are trained in a neighboring community, while Internet access at the lodge has allowed them to consult directly with clients, rather than through a third-party in Georgetown.
“We need to learn to specialize in each village,” he said. “We don’t have to compete, but to work together.”
15 November 2011
By Nicholas Gill
HotelNewsNow.com contributor
Source - Hotel News Now
Story Highlights
* Georgetown has landed the first Marriott Hotel in the Caribbean and Latin America with LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
* Guyana’s tourism industry is experiencing a period of dynamic investment and growth.
* While business travel is almost entirely concentrated in the capital city, there has been consistent growth outside of Georgetown in the form of ecolodges.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana—Ongoing hotel growth in the capital of Georgetown and a growing number of eco-friendly jungle lodges in the interior are catching the attention of investors in this little known South American nation. The country, about the size of Great Britain, is aiming to become the next Costa Rica as it has adopted a low carbon development strategy that is committed to sustainable tourism development. Norway has committed to providing financial support of up to US$250 million by 2015 for results achieved by Guyana in limiting emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
“We are maintaining over 99.5% of our forest cover; Norway is paying Guyana for climate services we provide,” said President Bharrat Jagdeo to the United Nations in September. “We are using some of these payments to eliminate 92% of our energy-related emissions, and we are using the rest of the payments, coupled with domestic resources, to shift our entire economy onto a low-carbon, low-deforestation, climate-resilient trajectory.”
New hotel projects reflect this campaign, with the most significant news centering on Georgetown landing the first Marriott Hotel in the Caribbean and Latin America with LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. After a series of delays the hotel now stands to be on track for a 2013 opening, said Paula Butler, spokeswoman for Marriott International.
“Every project takes time, and this project is no different than most,” Butler said, adding that the project will have 201 rooms, making it the largest hotel in the country, as well as a 75,000-square-foot entertainment complex with a casino, restaurant and nightclub.
“Georgetown is the capital city and a vibrant center for development in Latin America,” Butler said. “The hotel's LEED certification is due to Marriott's, as well as the country of Guyana's, commitment to the environment.”
Growing industry
Guyana’s tourism industry is experiencing a period of dynamic investment and growth. Visitor arrivals have grown from 57,400 in 1999 to more than 116,000 in 2005, according to the Guyana Tourism Authority. Tourism receipts (or exports) amounted to more than US$35 million in 2005. Of the country’s 2,616 rooms in 2011, occupancy rates stood at approximately 55% in Georgetown and 80% in the Rupununi Savannah, where the majority of ecolodges can be found.
“It is generally better now to build hotels in Guyana than it was five years ago,” said Indranauth Haralsingh, director of the Guyana Tourism Authority. “There is a greater understanding now of the need to invite investors to be part of the development of Guyana and so the government, through the Guyana Office for Investment, has increased the benefits for any investor who is interested in building a tourism facility, which include, but are not limited to, technical assistance and duty-free concessions. Also, the Ministry of Housing and Water has allocated land across several parts of the country as tourism areas, areas that are prime spots for constructing hotels and other accommodation properties.
“Guyana being the only country in South America with its official language as English serves as an advantage for persons from United States, Europe and the Caribbean,” Haralsingh said. “The time is right for investment in the country, which is being recognized as a leader in the low carbon development strategy and which is being lauded for its leaps and bounds made on the international platform for its efforts in sustainable tourism initiatives.”The ongoing expansion of Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the addition of daily flights to JFK via Trinidad from Caribbean Airlines are helping to ease air travel. The addition of a new state-of-the-art convention center in Georgetown in 2005 near the CARICOM Secretariat building and a National stadium in 2007, which helped land six matches of the Cricket World Cup, have also helped increase growth.
Business versus leisure
While business travel is almost entirely concentrated in the capital city, consistent growth has blossomed outside of Georgetown in the form of ecolodges, of which several are located within indigenous communities and national parks.
Nature tourism to Guyana has benefitted greatly from the lack of development in the country. The rare wildlife of the Guiana Shield is rather abundant. Animals such as giant river otters, jaguars, caimans, and the Harpy eagle are frequently spotted while mostly unheard of in other parts of the Amazon basin. Kaieteur Falls, known to be the highest single drop waterfall in the world and five times taller than Niagara Falls, also lures steady human traffic via daily flights.
The Iwokrama Rainforest and Rupununi Savannah are the most active regions for eco-tourism. An important lure has been the Iwokrama canopy walkway, a series of suspension bridges spanning 505 feet in length nearly 100 feet above the rainforest floor. Jointly managed by the Makushi community at Surama and two private sector businesses, Rock View Lodge and tour operator Wilderness Explorers, the walkway has become a rallying point for the surrounding communities and lodges to add rooms and invest in their facilities.
“At first it was difficult to get the community on board, but eventually they began to see the benefits,” said Sydney Allicock, chair of the North Rupununi District Development board and director of Surama Ecolodge.
Allicock explained that when ecotourists began showing up in the community, paying locals to show them birds and wildlife, they couldn’t believe it.
Now 60% of the community’s income is generated through sustainable tourism-related activities, and Surama has become an international model for indigenous development projects. Guides are trained in a neighboring community, while Internet access at the lodge has allowed them to consult directly with clients, rather than through a third-party in Georgetown.
“We need to learn to specialize in each village,” he said. “We don’t have to compete, but to work together.”
