Guyana set to host major Sustainable Tourism Conference in April
Written by Chevon Singh
Wednesday, 18 January 2012 21:52
CONSIDERED by all as heaven for sustainable tourism, Guyana is all set to host, for the second time, the 13th Annual Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-13), from April 15-18, 2012. The conference will be held under the theme, ‘Keeping the Right Balance’, and is expected to attract more than 250 delegates who are key stakeholders in the Tourism Sector.
According to the Minister of Tourism (ag) Irfaan Ali, the hosting of this “prestigious” event will provide a perfect platform from which the country can advance the advantages of the pooling together of the rich diversity of the Caribbean regions into a common product, which can be sustainable and attractive to the varied tourism market that exists.At yesterday’s press briefing, from right, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) , Indranauth Haralsingh ; Minister of Tourism (ag) Minister Irfaan Ali; Sustainable Tourism Product Specialist, Ms. Gail Henry; and CTO Communications Specialist, Johnson Johnrose.
He made this observation yesterday at a press briefing in the boardroom of the Housing Ministry, where he was joined by members of a CTO delegation visiting Guyana, and including Sustainable Tourism Product Specialist Ms. Gail Henry, and CTO Communications Specialist, Mr. Johnson Johnrose.
“Guyana is the heaven when it comes to sustainable tourism and eco tourism, and it is very important that the heaven produces a conference that would re-shape the way sustainable tourism is viewed,” he explained.
Minister Ali observed that Guyana is hosting the conference at an ideal time, when the country is advancing the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and is on the forefront of the global struggle against climate change.
He said, “With more than 40M acres of rain forest under protection, energy, water and biodiversity resources are issues confronting us today. We are also a advancing our hydroelectricity project in a very sustainable manner, ensuring that nature remains intact. We in Guyana are on the forefront of the global struggle to ensure that nature is preserved, to ensure that economic growth occurs in a sustainable manner, and that gives us the right platform on which we could present our case… normally the developed world will speak of global warming, and they are the biggest culprits when it comes to pollution and emissions. In this case we are speaking of sustainable development and we can be considered leading examples of how we are developing policies and programmes in keeping with what we preach, that is sustainable development.”
Alluding to the cost of hosting such an event, Minister Ali said the budget is being worked on, and stressed that the benefits to be derived would outweigh the cost.
“This is an investment in the Tourism Sector, which the government is willing to make,” he announced.
He mentioned too that the planners of the CTO have written to former President Bharrat Jagdeo to get him to accept an invitation to be a keynote speaker at this event, considering his strong views on issues of sustainability.
Minister Ali expressed confidence that, Guyana’s previous award for Excellence in Tourism , which was given to Surama Eco Lodge , will set a precedent this year for another successful nomination, while demonstrating that the country has the perfect blend of nature and economic growth to produce a tourism package that is sustainable and vibrant.
The platform will also be used to highlight the importance of sustainability of the Caribbean food market and its ability to sustain the regions tourism sector, Ali added.
As to how this will be done, he said, “We have been long regarded as the breadbasket of the Caribbean, we will be looking to partner with a lot of the big players in the tourism sector in the Caribbean as they come here, so we will have a special agro exhibition for targeting those markets.”
He underscored the importance of capturing and servicing new markets, and utilising the opportunity the conference offers to “promote this aspect of what nature ensures this country offer to the rest of the Caribbean, which is a sustainable food supply, a very important aspect of the tourism sector and of economic growth.
“The event will bring together the most elite group of investors, tourist operators and tourism practitioners and persons who are influential in the tourism field in the Caribbean, and it is very important that we make full use of this opportunity to promote Guyana and to ensure that Guyana captures the long held potential of having a good market share when it comes to nature tourism, sustainable tourism and eco tourism,” he stressed.
Source: Chronicle
