Eco-tourism could bring Guyana harvest of dollars -- says Dr Tewari of UWI by Terrence Esseboom Guyana Chronicle June 1, 1999 SATISFYING the taste of modern travellers for eco-tourism linked with sustainable development could yield a harvest of foreign dollars for the Guyana economy. This is the view of Dr Bhoendradat Tewari, Executive Director, Institute of Business, University of the West Indies (UWI). In the context of the twin desire by contemporary tourists, Guyana should take advantage of its strategic position on the South American mainland to offer the new tourism package, Tewari stated. Guyana is "absolutely divine," the UWI official said referring to this country's potential for gratifying the wishes of tourists. Speaking at last Friday's dinner organised by the Guyana Manufacturers Association (GMA), Tewari counselled that this country should not "ignore" the prospects of the tourism industry. He explained: "The funny thing about tourism is that you sit in your country and people come and pay you in foreign exchange. If you are smart, they then consume the things you produce, and if you are smarter, they take the things that you make and carry it home. If you are even smarter, they tell other people about it and increase the numbers that come, and repeat the cycle." According to an international forecast, the hospitality sector will continue to be the fastest growing industry globally "for the next 15 years". Tewari said that although it has been the leading money earner in the Caribbean, "the product of tourism in the Caribbean is virtually dead, because sun, sand and sea...have no appeal to the...younger tourists." He stated that Guyana could produce a different kind of tourism because "it need not start with anything that has existed in the Caribbean before." Among its advantages are its location on the South American coast, and the fact that it is an English-speaking country, the UWI official said. He said the opportunities that tourism offers this country are phenomenal. However, "entrepreneurship is required to develop the product," Tewari said. Expanding on the issue of business enterprise among Caribbean nationals, Tewari, an academic and former Government Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, predicted that "business will drive the future." He emphasised that companies and not countries compete on the international marketplace, and pointed out, "When enough companies in a country compete and compete well, then that country becomes competitive...and the standard of living rises." Meanwhile, GMA President Mr Ron Webster. told Friday's gathering that while the current public sector strike could impact severely on the economy if not resolved quickly, members of the body are "optimistic and very positive" about the future. He justified their confidence by observing that in an even more hostile global trading arena, local business groups "have been able to carve a niche and build ...export sales." (This) is no mean achievement in today's world, Webster said. In addition, the GMA is upbeat about its future because of potential business ventures in low cost electricity, two-way trade and other lucrative enterprises available with hemispheric neighbours which will help develop "a very vibrant economy," in Guyana, Webster pointed out. However, "the onus rests solely with us the private sector," the GMA President counselled his colleagues. In addition he pointed out, "The Government has to make the necessary connections at the political level ,and at the inter-country level establish the trade protocols. But at the end of the day, it must be the private sector which drives us forward," Webster said. A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples