A RECENT tourism roundtable/retreat identified some important practical steps which, according to lead Consultant Dr. Dave Russells, are necessary to place Guyana on the global tourist map.

The roundtable/retreat at Arrowpoint Nature Resort was done under the project on tourism training and capacity building for the tourism and hospitality industry that is co-funded by the Caribbean Regional Human Resource Development Programme for Economic Competitiveness (CPEC).

CPEC is a Canadian International Development Agency funded programme in Guyana, Jamaica and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the Guyana Manufacturers Association is the lead partner here.

Mr. Donald Sinclair, Sub-Project Coordinator, said the roundtable/retreat noted the advances since the commencement of the project in the areas of draft tourism legislation, a proposed tourism policy and a blueprint for the creation of a Tourism Authority.

Against the background of those developments, Russells proposed that in the short-term a three-track strategy could be adopted, Sinclair said.

This involves institutional capacity (enactment of tourism legislation, creation of Tourism Authority, strengthening of THAG (Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana) and promotion of community membership); product enhancement (marketing to the nature travel market, human resource training for nature resorts, guidelines for acceptable community-resort relations); and media support to sustain tourism awareness.

In his delineation of a strategic planning framework for tourism development in Guyana, strategic planning consultant, Mr. Deryck Bernard stressed the need for tourism to operate as a growth pole in Guyana whereby other sectors and industries would receive stimulus for growth and expansion.

Bernard underscored the importance of using media resources, garnering political support across the divides, developing a culture of collaboration rather than a culture of blame, and of solidifying a Guyana brand in the international marketplace, Sinclair said.

He reported that an important proposal from Russells' presentation at the roundtable/retreat was the scheduling of a Conference cum Travel Show in 2002 in Guyana that would bring together a large number of nature travel operators and other nature-based tourism specialists who would discuss success stories in nature travel, view the unique Guyana tourism product and conclude packages with local tourism entrepreneurs.

Russells said such an event, funded internationally and organised jointly by the University of Guyana and THAG, could well serve as Guyana's announcement of its competitiveness in the nature travel market.

The roundtable/retreat lasted for two days and was attended by 15 persons from the private and public sectors.