Rupununi Chamber worried about airfare hikes Stabroek News January 25, 2001 The Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) is alarmed at hikes in airfares between Georgetown and Lethem and says this will threaten the area's growing tourism and commerce activities. In a release yesterday, the Chamber protested what it described as exorbitant fare increases by two of the country's locally owned airlines, Trans Guyana Airways (TGA) and Roraima Airways. According to the release, airfares between the two destinations skyrocketed from $28,000 in the early part of 2000, to $34,000 and subsequently $37,000 in a short space of time in the latter half of the year. Contacted by Stabroek News yesterday, President of the Tourism Association of Guyana and head of Roraima Airways, Captain Gerry Gouveia stated that fares were being driven up by the strength of the US dollar and higher fuel prices. According to Gouveia, spares for the aircraft that service the route are only obtained using US currency. He asserted that service to the area was being provided at an affordable rate. Using figures to illustrate his point Gouveia said that the fare had only increased 5% in real terms over the last two years. Nevertheless, he stated that the aircraft owners association understood the plight of interior residents and is trying to sustain a service to the area at economically viable rates. The former Guyana Airways Corporation, he stated, tried to operate a cheap service to the region which contributed to its eventual collapse and Roraima had lost some $5M servicing that route alone in 2000. Apart from this, the Chamber President, Mohamed Khan said that the baggage allowance on one of the carriers, Trans Guyana has been reduced from 25 lbs to 15 lbs. TGA officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday Khan argued that the present situation was hampering the community's tourism development with many intended visitors opting to cancel planned visits due to the hike in fares. He further stated that TGA, which operates a daily service and Roraima, a four times per week schedule are most times fully booked with persons having to make reservations long in advance. This was however disputed by Gouveia, who speaking for Roraima, stated that his carrier was forced to stop at several destinations en route to Lethem due to low passenger numbers. It is the contention of the RCCI that the airlines should have consulted with the area tour operators to work out a more effective positioning strategy. It was suggested that the hikes could have been applied as surcharges directly tied to fuel prices. Further the Chamber release stated that new services or linkages with Rupununi businesses and the introduction of innovative marketing strategies could have been considered to offset higher fares. (Oscar P. Clarke) Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today