The group, comprising seventy nine guests and trend study guides visited Guyana under the aegis of a Product Familiarization (FAM) of a birding tourism programme organized by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the USAID-Guyana Trade and Investment Service (GTIS).

The group, whose stay in Guyana lasted from October 28 to November 4, travelled with the cruise ship The Clipper Alexandere with the famous Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT), the world's largest tour operators specializing in birding tours. VENT offers more than 140 bird-watching tours to more than 100 destinations and the tour was attended by two international tour guides, Steve Hilty and David Asvano. A particular highlight of the tour was the group's visit to Shanklands, described in the travel log as "one of the best days of our trip."

The GTA-GTIS programme which includes birding guide training seeks to develop and market birding as a local tourism product and the recent trip is the first of three designed to bring international bird watchers and media to Guyana to sample the local birding experience.