International guides here on birding trip
Guyana Chronicle
February 2, 2007
SEVEN guides from international tourism operators, a representative from the UK birding media, and the co-founder of the British Birdwatching Fair are here on a product familiarisation tour, called a FAM trip by the industry.
Organisers said it is the third FAM trip to bring international tour operators and media to Guyana to sample and evaluate the country’s birding experience as a part of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) birding tourism programme.
The current FAM trip is hosting some of the world’s top tourism companies specializing in birding, natural history, and photography tours, GTIS said.
Participants include Birdfinders; Environmental Adventure Company; Joanne Williams Photo Safaris; Kazakhstan Birdtours; Mot Mot Travel; Ornitholidays; and Wildwings.
GTIS said a writer from Birds Illustrated magazine, one of the UK’s top birding-oriented publications, is also on the trip.
The participants of this FAM trip have a non-stop itinerary planned for them during which they will experience a large portion of Guyana’s birding and natural history offerings, including stops in Georgetown, Surama Village, Iwokrama Field Station and Canopy Walkway, Wowetta Village, Rock
View Lodge, Karanambu Ranch, Dadanawa Ranch, Kaieteur Falls, Baganara, and Shanklands.
GTIS said that while on the trip, the participants will be learning about Guyana’s birds, flora, and fauna from local guides based at each destination.
Mr. Andy Narine, President of the Guyana Amazon Tropical Birds Society, is also joining the group throughout the trip to act as an accompanying guide, it reported.
“To gain the support from tour operators it is important to give them opportunities to experience Guyana firsthand. Focusing on the group tour market is beneficial because it will allow Guyana to develop better and more cost competitive tourism programmes and create demand for local guides and other birding and general tourism related services and products within Guyana”, GTIS explained.
Guyana’s potential as a birding, natural history, and nature photography tour destination, it said, adding that feedback from previous FAM trips has been positive and all tour operators who participated are now planning future trips to Guyana.
GTIS said an article on birding in Guyana is in the current edition of Birdwatch magazine, and another is due out in the next edition of Neotropical Birding.
“The FAM tours would not be possible if local tourism suppliers were not pledging their full support. For this programme, GTA-GTIS is grateful for the generous donations of accommodations and in-kind and reduced cost services from Caribbean Airlines, Trans Guyana Airways, Cara Lodge, Grand Coastal Inn,
Roraima Residence Inn, Le Meridien, Shanklands, Surama, Iwokrama, Rock View Lodge, Karanambu, Dadanawa Ranch, Community and Tourism Services (CATS), and Wilderness Explorers” GTIS said.
GTIS is a joint project of the Government of Guyana and USAID.