Guyana may soon be too expensive for tourists - Hughes
Stabroek News
May 6, 2007
A number of factors continue to contribute to making Tourism in Guyana a relatively expensive commodity, and while the product is considered of excellent quality compared to other destinations Guyana may well be on the road to "pricing itself out of the tourism market".
The observation came from representatives of major birding companies who were here recently on an international familiarization trip. The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) made the disclosure at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday.
Outgoing President Cathy Hughes raised the issue in her 2006 report pointing to the fact that with the introduction of Value Added Tax, the tourism product has become 16 percent more expensive.
The sector, she said, lobbied long and hard to be exempted from the tax regime to no avail despite making known the effects the tax could have on the development of the "new and fledging industry".
As a result, Hughes said the association networked with agencies and prepared its members for the implementation but still raised concerns with a parliamentary select committee and at a meeting with the Minister of Finance.
However, Hughes said, the region's hosting of the Cricket World Cup shaped the activities of the organisation and she noted too that training and retraining of staff within the industry and the improvement of the product continued to be among THAG's priority areas.
Against the background that 2006 saw massive direct financial investment in the accommodation sector, Hughes asked stakeholders present at Thursday's meeting, "But now we have more rooms what next?"
To this end, she urged that strong imaginative approaches must be developed to bring more visitors to Guyana.
She said the creation of internationally saleable events sponsored by effective international marketing must be addressed urgently to ensure a return on investment.
"Untapped opportunities such as international marketing of fishing competitions and good music festivals as I am intimately aware of, all offer massive potential but this must be carefully planned, well research-ed as you would any serious business proposal and implemented urgently," Hughes strongly recommended.
Hughes who held the position as president for the last two years believes that Guyana could learn from the large number of success stories within the region, but only with a clearly articulated plan could the country determine where it is heading and in what time frame.
CWC
THAG worked along with several committees and other bodies including the Tourism Ministry in planning for Cricket World Cup and Hughes said, "regardless of the critics, Guyana has been left a legacy from the successful hosting of its leg."
The question she said was how the country would harness the jumpstart given by this opportunity and move forward to creating exciting opportunities.
To this end, she recommended a partnership, "with each other, all the agencies, ministries, all the sectors, all the people of Guyana.
"We must share and consult on all issues that will affect this industry and each of us. Without consultation and compromise we do not each have a stake in the process and cannot guarantee its success," Hughes asserted.
She cautioned though that the mindset of Guyanese would have to change, since any form of negativity could be the biggest impediment to progress.
"The glass can be half full or half empty. The perspective you hold will determine your reach," she said.
Despite challenges in 2006, THAG continued to focus on the marketing Guyana as an attractive, adventure travel destination with invaluable assistance from publisher AMS Advertising and Lokesh Singh.
Additionally, the association continued to be represented at several international trade fairs and ensured the building of capacity for its membership and executive director through attendance at several local, regional and international seminars and workshops, Hughes said.