Tourism potential re-confirmed Stabroek News May 28, 2000 BUSINESS PAGE is dedicated to providing objective information an opinion on issued of interests to the business community and the public at large. The articles in Business page are prepared and contributed by CHRISTOPHER RAM. Christopher Ram is the Managing Partner of Ram & McRae, Chartered Accountants, Professional Services Firm. Introduction The recently concluded fourth annual Caribbean Tourism Organisation Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development was not only a ringing success for the organisers but a welcome endorsement of the country's tourism potential. Tourism Minister, Mr Geoffrey Da Silva, Ms Tessa Fraser of his ministry, Le Meridien Hotel and of course the Caribbean Tourism Organisation must be commended for their efforts and the high quality of the conference, the results of which can provide the basis of a successful policy document which will relieve the country of its dependence on traditional products. The conference established hopefully once and for all that the sector requires the commitment of the entire country if Guyana is to take advantage of eco-tourism, the fastest growing segment of the tourist industry world-wide. The draft National Development Strategy has identified two basic comparative advantages which Guyana enjoys: a diverse flora and fauna, virgin rainforests and vast array of waterfalls, rivers and creeks, and second, its location as the only English-speaking country in the South American Amazon Basin. National Development Strategy The draft NDS has identified as some of the benefits of tourism a larger tax base for national development, the generation of foreign exchange, the provision of employment and the promotion of rural and interior development. The benefits cannot be overemphasized for they have the capacity to transform the country's economy in the shortest possible time. Eco-tourism is of course generally environment-friendly and unlike the extractive industries produces a constant stream of revenue. We now need to capitalise on the natural endowments by imagination, sound policies and careful execution. As the NDS points out we need to realise that promoting a new product requires the formulation of a serious public relations and marketing campaign carried out by professionals with adequate financial resources to create an impression in our target markets. The point needs to be made that this cannot be left to the hotelier or local tour operator. Visitors do not decide on a hotel first but rather on the country and then depending on the kind of visit or holiday that they would like then decide on what they would do. The final decision is then made on the locations to visit and exact place where they will stay. Political culture No Guyanese can be proud of the country's image out there but yet this is the first issue we have to address. Our political culture is still so undeveloped that instead of elections being a routine part of our democratic culture, they are the cause around which all fears and insecurities revolve. The winner-take-all nature of our political system means that competing parties see elections as a matter of survival and act accordingly. There is the constant fear that the results of elections, no matter how well run, will not be accepted, severely damaging our reputation as a democratic country. The entire society needs to recognise that the issue of governance affects every facet of life in Guyana and it is therefore crucial that we deal with such problems in a serious but civilised way. Policies If we are to become an international eco-tourism destination, then we have to treat environmental issues far more sensibly. I hope that one of our politicians was not serious when he said that development has to come before the environment. I am still wondering how these can be viewed as mutually exclusive concepts. We are the only country on the continent without an effective national protected area system. The NDS points out that Guyana "has the potential (that embarrassing word again) to establish a comprehensive, ecologically representative protected area network..." It goes on to express the concern that a "significant level of eco-tourism development is unlikely to occur unless Guyana becomes known as a country where high standards of environmental stewardship are applied to all aspects of its natural resource utilisation and management." Either the cavalier attitude to the environment shown by those responsible has to change or those persons must themselves be changed. Sound policies on the environment with strict enforcement is development. Promotion Marketing is an expensive business but branding and the use of the internet can substantially increase the value of the advertising dollar. I am not aware that we have an easily identifiable logo which we can put up there as an unmistakable symbol of Guyana. The Kaieteur Falls, some of the rarer species of animals and our architecture would attract the attention of tourists. Eco-tourists generally own computers and plan their holidays using the Internet. This means that we do not have to appear in every travel brochure or have a physical presence in every potential market at the beginning. Make friends with travel writers and those who contribute to environmentally conscious magazines. Get our name out there and ensure professional representation where necessary. Treat tourism as we would any tangible product, not as a separate product. We have to ensure that visitors to our country receive comfort and service which will encourage them to return and to tell others approvingly. Few if any of our facilities are world-class and considerable resources and attention need to be put into upgrading them as a matter of urgency. Those who have the responsibility for speaking for the industry must place high on their list of priority the inclusion of tourism in the Income Tax (in Aid of Industry) Act which provides for tax holidays as well as accelerated allowances. We must also ensure that domestically we create an even playing field. Word is around that one company has been given a tax holiday which is not generally available and another operator makes sure that by manipulating the number of rooms it operates, it is exempt from the Hotel Occupancy Tax. This is entirely unfair to the rest of the operators whose prices are therefore higher. How can we justify excluding tax holidays for our tourism product when providers of similar products in competing countries enjoy generous concessions. Institutional arrangements The Government must move expeditiously on the establishment of the Tourism Authority which was promised well over a year ago. The Authority must be staffed with people of competence and given the funds it requires to carry out its mandate. Without any disrespect to the private sector Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) the Authority must become the driving force of the sector. THAG needs to reestablish an image where it is seen as promoting the interest of all players in the industry, as being efficiently managed and actively assisting and lobbying the Government in developing tourism. Guianas Trail There has been an initiative to promote a package called the Guianas Trail which includes Guyana, Cayenne and Suriname as a tourist destination. This sounds like an interesting concept which presumes that each territory has its own unique offering which would appeal to the target market. Such an undertaking requires coordination and cooperation among the three territories to ensure that the experience is unforgettable for the tourists who would by word of mouth extol its virtues as a "must do" to their friends and acquaintances. While each of the countries may have a unique offering each of them has common problems which can be disastrous to any effort to secure tourist traffic if they are not addressed. Foremost among these are crime and security which because of the social and economic problems in all three countries pose a serious threat to their ability to convince tourists that they will be safe and unmolested during their stay. Representatives from the security forces should be part of the planning team so that ideas can be shared on a common approach to tackling security and crime issues. It would also be useful to have highly trained, skilled service personnel permanently based at major ports of entry who have the know-how and the authority to make decisions, that while not circumventing the law, would resolve any problems visitors encounter with a minimum of unpleasantness. This would signal to tourists as soon as they arrive in Guyana that we are taking the business of hospitality seriously and that we will spare no effort to make to them feel welcome and as comfortable as we possibly can. The logistics of moving people around Georgetown and into the rural and interior areas must be carefully thought out and safety, reasonable comfort and punctuality must all form part of the planning. Tourists usually have limited time and the last thing they want to do is to wait around for hours in the stifling heat to be moved from one location to another. Everything must work like clockwork and this will take a commitment to excellence which has over the past several years taken flight from Guyana. Conclusion The recommendations of the National Development Strategy and those coming out of the conference can form the basis of a successful tourism sector. The work must now begin at all levels in the society starting with the education system. Minister Da Silva seems to have both the will and the energy to get the job done. His staff have demonstrated enormous capability and dedication. The private sector operators now need to work with the Ministry, among themselves and in their own businesses to realise the country's enormous and untapped tourism potential. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today