Tourism Board will demand standards in the industry -- Colette McDermott
by Sharon Lall
OPERATORS in the tourism and hospitality industry will have to adhere to standards in the delivery of services once the Tourism Authority Board is fully operational. "These standards will directly impact on the people who run businesses in the (tourism) industry because that's what the standards are about," Executive Director of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Ms Colette McDermott told the Chronicle yesterday. "As long as you are an operator within the tourism or hospitality industry, the Board will have jurisdiction over you." One such example, McDermott said, is that hotels would need to have certain standards for room and hygiene, visitor safety, and fire regulations. There will also be stipulations for tour operators, with regards to how many persons they can serve in a group, how tour guides ought to be trained as well as a series of internationally-based guidelines to be put in place by the Tourism Authority Board. "(The Tourism Authority Board) will look at the same issues as any other tourism industry around the world," the THAG Executive said. The Board will be responsible for the licensing of operators in every sphere of the tourism trade, including hotels and air charter companies. McDermott said this will give the Tourism Board the power to recall licences once persons do not measure up to specific standards. "The (Tourism) Association already has a fairly high standard because we are dealing with a small number of visitors. But, if we start attracting half a million business a year - you might see people starting to let that standard drop." A recommended number of nine private sector-based personnel is likely to comprise the Board, as is the custom worldwide. It will be focussing on generic marketing, public relations for the tourism industry, training and product development. According to McDermott, the specific areas that the Tourism Authority Board will be monitoring, will be decided by Government and members of the Board once it is set up. She added that training, and lapses in the use of life jackets for boats, although regulations exist for this, have been among the shortcomings of tourist operators. The THAG Executive explained that the $15M allocated to the Tourism Authority Board in the 1999 national budget will act as "seed money" and, provide the groundwork for this year's task in establishing the Board. Much more money is needed but not all of it has to come from the Government. There are a number of sources for funding for many of the jobs the Board will be undertaking, McDermott indicated. She said progress for the setting up of the Board has been "slow but constant", with a number of delays over which the Tourism Association has had no influence. "We can only make recommendations, the actual responsibility still lies with the Government." Since the entire process began, the Tourism Association now has a document and has held a National Consultation on the way forward. McDermott said THAG members are supportive of the Tourism Authority Board, which they have been pushing to be implemented over the last seven years. The Government is yet to write the legislation or Act which will create the Tourism Authority Board, before persons are appointed to function on the Board. Approval will also have to be given by the Attorney General (AG) and Cabinet before the Board can commence its functions.
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