Guyana's High Commissioner to Canada, Rajnarine Singh, on Friday launched My Guyana Eldorado, a tourism magazine for Guyana, at the Guyana Consulate in Toronto.

A press release from the consulate said that 100,000 copies were printed in two versions, 55,000 copies with Canadian advertisers and 45,000 with US advertisers, under the theme 'Come home, come home, and enjoy Guyana'. The magazine will be distributed free of cost with 95,000 copies earmarked for North America and the rest for Guyana.

The release said that the launching of the magazine was a significant step towards the completion of a major initiative undertaken by the consulate, to promote tourism to an estimated 500,000 Guyanese residing in North America. Singh observed that tourism held tremendous potential for Guyana. He added: "This magazine will take us one step closer to tapping that potential. The strategy to reach out to our Guyanese communities in North America is an excellent and timely one." The consulate was assisted in this endeavour by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.

The total cost of the project exceeds $11 million and is funded entirely through sponsorships, the release said.

According to the release, My Guyana Eldorado features 68 pages of promotional information, breath-taking scenes in Guyana and a glossy finish. It features ten leading resorts, four each of our national festivals and national events, and provides a wealth of tourism related information.

The initiative to publish a tourism magazine, targeted at the Guyanese communities in North America, had its origin in a survey of Guyanese residing in Canada. The survey, conducted by the consulate in 1999, concluded that less than 12% of Guyanese residing in Canada was aware of the many resorts and day trips Guyana offers to returning Guyanese and to tourists. The survey also showed that just under 64% of the respondents indicated that they would try at least one of the day trips or resorts if they thought that it was safe, well organized and offered at a competitive price.

The magazine was researched, written and edited by Guyanese. The design and layout was done by a Guyanese based company, SH Productions, whose work has played a defining role in tourism promotion in Guyana since 1996, the release said.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Toronto consulate co-ordinated the printing of 10,000 posters of Guyana and 5,700 Guyana flags. Forty thousand additional posters featuring new scenes of Guyana have been ordered and are expected shortly. On October 24, at a reception with the Guyanese business community, Honorary Consul General, Danny Doobay, unveiled a 2002 calendar featuring 12 scenes of Guyana and a calendar of activities (a joint project with the Ministry of Tourism). The consulate is currently co-ordinating with sponsors to print and distribute 25,000 copies in Canada.

The consulate is also planning a familiarization tour with BWIA and the Ministry of Tourism for November 29 - December 4, 2001.