Is this how we intend to engage each other?

Aug 23, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR
The Carifesta Secretariat and the Ministry of Culture Youth & Sport have ignored our requests for Carifesta tickets to distribute to our members.

The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) is the preeminent private sector organization representing businesses in the hospitality and tourism sector; including, restaurants, hotels, jewelers, travel agents, tour operators, craft artisans and tour guides.

One would have expected that a quota of tickets would have been made available to our members, especially our hotels operators, to distribute to incoming guests for the prestigious event.

Instead, our hotel operators were inundated with requests for tickets and had no alternative but to tell their guests that they would have to join the long queues to get them.

This resulted in a number of guests becoming infuriated and dispirited; many of whom blamed our hoteliers for not having the foresight of securing tickets for them.

The truth of the matter is, THAG made contact, via telephone, on several occasions with Chief Executive Officer of the Carifesta Secretariat, Mr. Nigel Dharamlall, who indicated his willingness to assist us in acquiring tickets, but requested an approximate total towards making this possible.

Following up on those conversations, on August 20, THAG wrote the Carifesta Secretariat asking that 2000 tickets be made available to our members for them to distribute to their guests.

THAG also forwarded copies of that request letter to the Offices of the Minister of Culture Youth and Sport and the Head of the Presidential Secretariat.

To date, THAG has not received a response to our request from any of the agencies mentioned above. THAG has noted that only certain special interest groups were issued tickets and those whose prime responsibility it is to sell the tourism product were left out in the cold, unable to fulfill their mandate.

If these ticketing distribution arrangements for Carifesta X are a sign of the others to come, this does not augur well and THAG has grave concerns as it relates to these developments. THAG expected a higher level of decorum from the Carifesta Secretariat in the handling of this matter.

It does no good for anyone (our country, Carifesta Secretariat, THAG and the tourism sector) if this is how we intend to engage each other.
Renata Chuck-A-Sang President, THAG