Keep the push on
Editorial
WE WELCOME the assurance by Trade, Tourism and Industry Minister, Mr Geoffrey DaSilva that his ministry is pushing for the tourism authority law to be tabled in Parliament this month or early January. He last week told tourism operators and others that a draft of the legislation, which will guide management personnel in the sector, has been done by the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and is now with Cabinet.
Tourism operators have been lobbying for the establishment of a Tourism Board and we expect that THAG's involvement in drafting the law would mean that a lot of their concerns would be taken on board.
The earlier the legislation is passed the better because it has been some time in the making and the tourism sector has to be put on firm legal and other footing.
Guyana's tourism is widespread - from eco-tourism and adventure tourism to cultural and other aspects of the sector.
It does not depend on a singe product, like in many other countries where it all hangs on beaches or on eco-tourism.
President of THAG, Captain Gerry Gouveia has noted that getting the tourism authority in place is important for the direction of personnel, resort owners and tour guides among them.
As we have noted before, getting it all under an all-embracing authority would surely propel tourism development faster and it is in this regard that Minister DaSilva's assurances would be welcomed by those who have been advocating the push in this direction.
Some in the tourism business have argued that if the sector here really takes off, it could quickly outstrip other traditional aspects of the economy in national hard currency earnings.
Now that the long-awaited road to Brazil is on firmer footing, tourism will be among those areas that could expect dividends from an easier link between the two countries and the authorities and operators have to begin to work to cope with this.
Brazil has its own vibrant tourism industry and cooperative linkages can be worked out by those in the sector in Guyana.
The Guyana-Brazil road will certainly bring its own challenges and a central tourism authority would be crucial in overcoming these.
There is no doubt that the tourism sector here is growing and it should be only a matter of time before it becomes a dominant force in the economy.
Mr DaSilva has noted that Guyana has to do a market survey of eco-tourism systems in other countries to be familiar with their techniques and advance its own industry.
Pointing out that the tourism industry here is still young, he last week said Guyana is examining ways to develop a satellite system for evaluating the effectiveness of the business.
Training programmes are under way in several tourism-related fields and the groundwork is being firmly laid.
The Tourism Authority would be crucial in moving it all along at a faster clip.
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