Customs, immigration officers have to become tourism friendly - Da Silva Stabroek News August 9, 2000 Customs officers stationed at ports of entry at Timehri, Springlands and Lethem will soon be sporting uniforms geared to portray a better image to incoming visitors. This was disclosed by Deputy Commissioner, Customs and Trade Administration, Jameel Baksh, who said that the idea had been mulled over for sometime and it would soon be put into action. Baksh was speaking at the opening of the two-week training programme for some forty Customs and Immigration Officers on Monday at the Ocean View Hotel. Minister of Tourism, Trade, and Industry, Geoffrey Da Silva emphasised that the officers are ambassadors of the country, while delivering the feature address at the exercise. The training is one component of an Institutional Strengthening Project funded by the Organisation of American States (OAS). The ultimate goal is to deliver a higher standard of service to visitors and achieve increased levels of satisfaction. The training will be conducted by Jane Belfon who is a trainer with over twenty years experience in the tourism and hospitality sector. According to Tessa Fraser, Director of Tourism in the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Industry, the training is also being conducted in Trinidad & Tobago and Dominica. She said the programme was Trinidad's idea and it submitted the project to the OAS and in turn asked the other two countries for support. Another project for language training in Portuguese and Spanish will be submitted next year. Persons outside of Guyana have a negative perception of the country and this must be recognised by all Guyanese, especially the officers who are the first persons to have contact with visitors entering the country, Da Silva observed. Dealing with some negative perceptions held by foreigners, Da Silva said that people are of the opinion that Guyana is crime ridden but that is an exaggerated statement. He contended that a lot of the negative ideas about the country stems from what is said by Guyanese living overseas. According to the minister Guyana can compete with any other country. The minister gave the example of Costa Rica, a country which is much smaller than Guyana but which receives a large number of tourists every year, significantly boosting its economy. "Guyana is a big country which can accommodate millions of tourists a year," the minister said. He told the officers that they must be as knowledgeable as any resort owner and tourism official since it is their responsibility to ensure that the customers are aware of what the country has to offer. Da Silva noted that should the tourism industry expand then there would be more job opportunities which would ensure a better standard of living. That better standard of living also has to do with training and education. Tourism, the minister said, is not only for overseas guests but also the locals who should enjoy what the country has to offer. The minister promised the officers that his ministry would sponsor them to visit a few of the resorts in the Essequibo River after the training session. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today