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Granger tells OAS Tourism Congress… Promote Americas’ zone of peace, sustainable tourism
President David Granger (center) with heads of delegates at the opening of the OAS 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism at the Marriott, Georgetown.
President David Granger yesterday declared that it was time for the new world – The Americas – to capitalize on the tourism potential by protecting the environment, increase connectivity and enable easier access to capital.
The President made the call yesterday while delivering the feature address at the opening of the Organisation of American States’ (OAS) 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism at the Marriott, Georgetown.
“The Americas, despite their just wars of independence and a few civil wars, are a hemisphere of relative peace in today’s turbulent world. The promotion of sustainable tourism initiatives and the marketing of the Americas as a zone of peace, in a world with so many wars and conflicts, should be subjects for consideration at this Congress,” President Granger stated.
He stated that the 21st century must become the ‘Century of the South’; the ‘north and east’ have had their day.
“It is now the South’s turn. A sustainable tourism sector can make this century an occasion for rediscovering the new world,” Granger told the delegates.
The President encouraged the congress, which is being held in Guyana for the first time, to seek solutions to ensuring that the Americas can catalyze their tourism potential by increasing annual tourist arrivals.
“This congress can do so by protecting the Americas’ natural capital, by developing a concerted approach to the environment; promoting increased connectivity between tourist destinations by encouraging the development of infrastructure; and providing smaller states, particularly the small-island states of the Caribbean, with easier access to capital for investments to build a more resilient industry,” President Granger noted.
During the opening session, Kim Osborne, Executive Secretary for Integral Development at the OAS, highlighted that globally, international tourism arrivals continue to show strong growth, reaching 1.3B in 2017. This represents an expansion of nearly seven percent, the highest growth rate since 2010.
Tourism, she noted, contributes 10% of the world’s gross domestic product and one in 10 jobs.
In the Americas, the total contribution with respect to GDP was 8.5% in 2016, while for emerging destinations like Guyana, the total contrition of the sector to GDP was 7.3%.
“While these data confirm the obvious that tourism is vastly important to many countries in the region, it is nevertheless, vital that policies are articulated, which will ensure the sector in the region remains competitive and sustainable,” Osborne stated.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony was Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin.
The congress, which concludes today will discuss a number of topics, including air travel, product innovation, sustainable tourism, building resilience and connecting the Americas through sustainable tourism.
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