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Ministry receives $417M for tourism development
– Resort Week in the making
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), an arm of the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, has received a whopping $417M in this year’s Budget to aid in the development and promotion of the sector.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond
This is according to Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond.
In an exclusive interview with this media house, Minister Walrond detailed some of her plans for the sector, even as Tourism Awareness Month is observed.
She said, as part of the development and promotion of the sector, the Ministry is seeking to commence a Resort Week, where outdoor fans and lovers of nature can enjoy the wonders of Guyana.
“The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce is working with the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana, Visit Rupununi and other partners to develop a model for Resort Week,” the Minister explained.
Such an initiative is likely to fashion that of Guyana Restaurant Week, a highly anticipated event that usually allows food lovers the opportunity to tantalise their taste buds, with flavours from participating restaurants. Important to note is that this treat comes at a discounted price.
In this regard, the Tourism Minister told Kaieteur News that “For Tourism Awareness Month 2021, the Ministry, through GTA, has worked with tourism operators to reduce the prices of tourism packages. Prices have been slashed significantly to induce travel from the public. All specials are being hosted by conditionally approved businesses.”
In addition to this, she noted that the Ministry has been working along with the Guyana Tourism Authority to develop new experiential tourism products and will be co-launching seven new products in Tourism Awareness Month. This, she said, will increase the tourism product diversity and expand the portfolio for Destination Guyana.
“The intention is to increase travel across all of Guyana’s Regions. New tourism circuits are under development in Regions One, Two, Seven and Nine. This will augment the development of products, increase marketing efforts and improve the skill-set of tourism actors,” according to Minister Walrond.
This year, Tourism Awareness Month is being held under the theme “Preparing for a New Frontier-Stimulating Innovation and New Businesses within the tourism sector.”
Under her leadership, Minister Walrond said the major areas of focus include Marketing, Product Development, Training and Capacity Building, Research and Data Collection.
At the launching of Tourism Month, Walrond told those in attendance that Guyana is “uniquely positioned as a premier destination for eco-tourism with numerous eco lodges and camping sites, especially throughout the interior regions, with an understanding of the still untapped potential”.
In 2019, Guyana copped the title for World’s Best Eco-Tourism Destination.
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