Barbadian team impressed with Guyana’s community-based tourism

Guyana’s tourism was once again showcased as a team of Barbadian tourism experts conducted a five-day “fam” (familiarisation) trip organised by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA).
In 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the GTA and the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, on areas of cooperation, concentrating on two main areas – multi-destination packaging and the sharing of information to assist each other in the tourism sector. The “fam” trip was a direct result of the MoU.
Barbados is commonly known for its “Sun, Sand and Sea” tourism; however,

members of the Barbadian team noted that the country did not have adventure packages. They were impressed with the concept of Community-Based Tourism (CBT).
On that note, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock met and shared his knowledge and expertise with the team. According to the Department of Public Information, the group spent five days at the Surama Eco-Lodge in Surama Village, North Rupununi. Minister Allicock told team members that CBT was a concept that was economically beneficial to the community and the country as a

whole. He gave numerous examples of the development of Surama.
“Community-based Tourism is something that takes lots of planning and implementing and also putting your own imagination to practice,” Minister Allicock said.
Importantly, the Minister pointed out that CBT was a concept that kept the community’s culture alive. He noted that it was “the language, the stories and the handicraft and the old ways like having a bonfire and hearing stories from way back when”.
Additionally, he observed that many Guyanese were unaware of the true beauty and potential of the country they live in. However, he opined that with CBT, “that is

slowly changing and we know that it will continue to improve”.
GTA Logistics Manager Clara Chandra noted that Guyana has been leading the way in CBT.  Chandra said that the Barbados team visited three key Indigenous communities namely, Rewa, Surama, and Kaibarupaii because they have received C2 recognition for their sustainable tourism projects.
Group member Eion Proverbs blurted out: “My gosh, this country is absolutely breath-taking and I love it.”
According to the Department of Public Information, he said the “fam” trip was beneficial since he was building relationships with persons from the GTA and also experiencing the chance of a lifetime to visit Guyana’s interior. Proverbs said he would return to Barbados to draft packages so that Barbadians could visit Guyana and in turn Guyanese could visit Barbados.
Barbados Tourism Authority Product Officer Andera Kedungan said: “It has been fantastic, a really wonderful experience. I am doing things that I won’t normally do. In Barbados, we do not have this type of product.”  She added that the Authority would have heard extensively about CBT, hence their coming on the trip so that they could adopt some of Guyana’s best practices.
Kedungan noted that her country did not have the vast infrastructure Guyana did in relation to CBT, but noted that the Authority would be seeking more expert advice in the future to develop their CBT product.
While at Surama, the team was treated to cultural presentations by various Indigenous groups. The team was slated to depart Guyana for Barbados on Sunday.