THAG adopts ten-point plan
by Linda Rutherford
BUOYED by recent signs of Government's commitment to tourism development and the savvy exhibited by the new subject Minister, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) under a new executive has adopted a no-nonsense, broad-based, ten-point plan geared to moving the sector forward. Among initiatives to be undertaken in the course of executing the plan are: increasing the membership to 1,000 by yearend; meeting with every conceivable stakeholder in the industry including the political parties, the diplomatic community, the municipalities and the Commissioner of Police; and working closely with the Amerindian and other communities in the hinterland, and the media. The idea, it is said, is not only to register the Association's concerns but to seek also the stakeholders' support on specific issues, such as the need to have political stability in the country and a crime-free environment, all in the interest of tourism. Hosting his first press conference since his recent election to office, THAG President Mr Jerry Gouveia said last Wednesday that as he has had occasion before to say publicly, "the tourism industry is in a hurry [to move forward]; we have no more time for procrastination". And the only way feasible the Association saw of doing so was by expanding its membership, which at the moment stands at a mere 60, Gouveia said. He said it was a shame that so few companies saw it fit to belong to THAG when one considers that tourism is such an important and all-encompassing industry, that the organisation is not just representing a sub-sector but is in fact a leader in carving the path forward for tourism development. He noted that in the early stages only certain people were directly involved in the industry. "But when you understand that tourism will positively affect every Guyanese, then it is only natural that they get on this bandwagon and support this effort," Gouveia said. The new THAG head explained that as activity in the industry picks up, not only will there be an increase in demand for commodities like fuel, but even in the agricultural industry farmers will have to step up their production in order to supply the restaurants, hotels and resorts so that they could feed the visitors to Guyana. Gouveia said that it was for this and other reasons that he was issuing a call "for all Guyanese..all sectors, to come and join with us in THAG in carving the way forward with the Government accelerating this process". This new direction the Association is taking, he said, has come about not only because of a conviction that the country has reached one of the most crucial periods in its development, but also because of the groundwork it has laid over the years since its establishment in early 1992. "I think that now, at this stage in our history...we're really at the cross-roads for a lot of things to happen...particularly in tourism with all of the work that has been done over the years in lobbying the Government. We're now at the point where we believe that the Government and the private sector are really ready to work hand-in-hand in the development of tourism," Gouveia said. Added to this, he said, the Association was "particularly encouraged" by newly-accredited Trade and Tourism Minister Mr Geoff DaSilva in that it is their belief that "he really has a good grasp of tourism and what needs to be done [and that] now is the time to work closely with him in convincing the rest of the Cabinet...and the entire population of the virtues of tourism." Gouveia said, however, that "the big thing for us" is the imminence of the Tourism Board, the establishment and operation of which he believes will be "the turning point for tourism in Guyana", since it was virtually impossible to continue with a tourism operation without having a regulatory body setting standards and regulations and spearheading a marketing programme for the country.
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