Guyana skips major tourism show

Mar 12, 2010 News

For the first time in 10 years, the Guyana government has decided not to attend International Travel Bourst (ITB) in Berlin, Germany, a show which was once hailed as important to the country’s attracting adventurers from Europe.
Kaieteur News understands that the government has not been pleased that Wilderness Explorers, which markets destinations other than Guyana, is the only local tour operator attending ITB Berlin.
It was felt that Wilderness Explorers was using the booth space paid for by the Guyana government to promote destinations other than Guyana.
However, Teri O’Brien, the General Manager of Wilderness Explorers told this newspaper that the company markets Guyana as part of a Caribbean package and that in fact, Guyana is the major destination that is promoted by the company.
Executive Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Indranauth Haralsingh said that attending ITB is a costly exercise, with the price for the booth space alone being G$3 million.
He said that Guyana has not been seeing the benefits from attending ITB and besides that, Wilderness Explorers should be able to attend the event on their own or in partnership with others, such as Suriname.
O’Brien said it is important for Guyana to sustain its presence at a major show such as ITB, or else tour operators selling adventure tourism would dismiss the country as not being serious.
She explained that while Wilderness Explorers will continue to attend the show, what it will be selling is not the company, but Guyana as a destination.
The Guyana Tourism Authority last year said attending ITB was part of an effort to continue its drive to make the country be known internationally.
The Authority had also said that Guyana has a key interest in the German travel market.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad and the Director of GTA, Indranauth Haralsingh represented Guyana at the fair last year.
Haralsingh said that the GTA is concentrating on attending trade fairs in countries which it has seen success, such as Holland.
As a result, Guyana earlier this year attended one of the world’s largest consumer trade shows in Holland.
For the remainder of the year, Haralsingh disclosed, the GTA plans to attend other key events.
Most notable among these would be the Shanghai World Expo at which Guyanese manufacturers, tourism operators and those in the agriculture sector would exhibit.
He said attending the Shanghai Expo is a huge opportunity for Guyana, especially since Guyana was last year listed as an approved destination for consumers to travel to.
Further, Haralsingh pointed out that the GTA will set up a Guyana booth at the World Travel Market in London, which is among the biggest travel shows.
The GTA will also represent Guyana at major events in the Caribbean, including St Maarten, and also in North America.

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