Competitive marketing strategy needed for tourism sector in Guyana
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| Published on Thursday, June 28, 2007 |
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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA): For Guyana to attract tourists and further develop its tourism sector, a competitive marketing strategy is needed. This is one of the recommendations made at the Tourism Conference held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
The recommendations were made public by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad. The Minister stated that work has already commenced on some of the recommendations.
The Conference, held under the theme “Moving Guyana’s Tourism Forward,” was a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG).
The participants also suggested that more funds be allocated by Government to further this strategy. It was further pointed out that the marketing plan being developed by the Guyana Tourism Authority should look at developing strategies for marketing the specific products according to niche markets and that Guyana should be continually represented at trade fairs in other countries.
Another recommendation was that tourism needs to be promoted to the diaspora more effectively. This would include televised advertisements in the Diaspora, Europe, and the Caribbean. To be able to effectively do this, it was recommended that a public relations division should either be attached to the Guyana Tourism Authority or the Ministry of Tourism which would provide adequate and timely information.
The need for a local awareness programme was highlighted that would organise promotion of the domestic tourism product. It was noted that packages should be created to directly target the local tourists utilising a percentage of the returns from the departure tax or the Lottery Fund.
It was recommended that Guyana’s tourism product be defined. Minister Prashad said has already been defined as ‘sustainable, nature-based product’ with elements of birding, yachting, sports, culture and heritage. ‘Guyana Naturally’ is the brand currently being used to promote tourism locally.
The establishment and management of natural and cultural sites was another recommendation. It was stated that Government should be approached to create a list of areas which may be considered for World Heritage Sites. Minister Prashad stated that work on this area has been ongoing between his Ministry and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. The processing of visas should be hassle-free and the cost should be reduced.
On the topic of transportation, it was recommended that the road and river network of the country be expanded and the infrastructure be upgraded which include airstrips, landing areas, and roads.
Another recommendation dealt with the absence of standards and regulations governing accommodations and tours. It was recommended that educational programmes be implemented for tour operators which would deal with understanding the requirement of standards and regulations.
In the area of human resources, it was recommended that training of staff within the industry be ongoing along with police, immigration and custom officers at border points. The need for focus to be placed on training of operators in the tourism industry in foreign languages including Portuguese and Spanish was listed among the recommendations.
For the GTA, it was recommended that an Executive Director with international experience be appointed with possible assistance of the donor community. The location of the entity was also examined and it was noted that it needs to be at a central point that would facilitate easy access.
As a follow up to the Tourism Conference, the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) will be sending personnel to Guyana to hold another conference in September which will focus specifically on pricing and packaging.
Government is working to install the necessary infrastructure in the sector including the upgrade, expansion and addition of new structures such as the airports, roads, the Berbice River Bridge, new stellings and ferries. These will improve access to the tourism product, as well as enhance social services across Guyana.
Over the next five years, Government will continue its approach with an investment driven strategy towards supporting infrastructure, improving air access and transport, diversifying and expanding the tourism product, destination marketing, human resource development and making tourism a more attractive sector for investment. | | | | Reads : 213 | | | |
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