'Guianas Trail' to come on stream shortly
Tourists stand to benefit from a total package experience when the 'Guianas Trail', a new eco-tourism package linking Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana, comes on stream. "[It] will add a new level and type of product to the Caribbean Region. Thereby, it will make the Guianas more competitive in the Caribbean region and globally," Dr Edward Essed, executive director, Suriname Tourism Foundation; and Roger LeFrancois, ARA Consulting Group/HLA Consultants, said in a presentation at the opening of the fourth Caribbean Tourism Organisation Sustainable Development Conference on Friday. According to the proposal, the project will feature products from each country and capture the abundant wildlife and cultural diversity of the Guianas. The package will include guiding for the entire duration, from one country to the next, and from one product destination to another. The focus of the package which is centred on eco-tourism, regarded as the fastest growing industry in the world, will endeavour to reach out to a global market while securing the delicate natural environment. It will build on what already exists in the three countries and will be packaged and developed based on international standards. There will be expansions eventually based on the market acceptance of the trail. This trail, a result of three years of consultancy, arose from a need to develop a product that is compatible with international standards and yet keeping conservation needs in mind. Therefore, the three countries were chosen because of their cultural similarities and diversities, their geography and their common tourism objectives. Further, the Guianas have the product that the eco-tourist, whom the package is targeting, is looking for. Host countries will benefit from this project for the combination will provide them with strength to compete on the international market. It will also facilitate investment. Communities will also benefit, not only as employees but as entrepreneurs. LeFrancois added that the natural setting and wildlife viewing were strong points. People are more excited about the chances of seeing, than seeing the actual thing and it is that interpretation that is important. He cautioned that the measure of success is when the tourist actually comes. The conference being held under the theme 'Keeping the Right Balance: Unlocking the Potential' commenced on Friday at Le Meridien Pegasus and Essed and LeFrancois made presentations on the topic 'The Guianas Trail in South America'. The conference has brought together a number of regional and international tourism specialists and hopes to provide delegates with information to improve their tourism programmes and policies. It ends today.
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