Govt considering 4 new branded hotels for Guyana within 5 years – President Ali

Detailing the “significant transformation” slated to take place in Guyana, President Irfaan Ali has said that his Administration is looking to have four new branded hotels constructed here over the next five years.

The President made this disclosure during a recent interview with Jamaica’s CEEN TV – “The Conversation”, noting that Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the hotels have already been requested.
President Ali was at the time responding to a question from the host in relation to his plan to provide 50,000 jobs for citizens.
Most of the 50,000 jobs, he said, are based in the non-oil sector. “You will see traditional sectors will be sustained and become competitive, so that they could hold their own and keep those jobs going,” he explained.
President Ali assured that while the petroleum sector has emerged as one of the most important to Guyana’s economy, the Government is focusing on expanding and making the traditional sectors more competitive.
“We have been focusing heavily on building the non-oil sector and that is where we will see a number of policies geared – towards making the non-oil sector more competitive, giving them comparative advantages … and ensuring that we build a knowledge economy that is driven by a strong technological backbone. These are things that form part of the broadened economic plan,” President Ali said.
He said that revenues from the oil and gas sector would be invested in the agricultural, construction, tourism, manufacturing, and other sectors to boost competitiveness.

The President added that greater emphasis would be placed on the construction sector, which would make up a greater segment of employment.
He pointed to the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge, the Corentyne River Bridge which would link Guyana to Suriname and the massive expansion of the road network in the country.
The President further pointed out there would be renewed focus on the agriculture sector by the opening- up of new agricultural lands, introduction of newer technologies and provision of relevant training to farmers so that they would become more competitive.
Additionally, citing planned investments in the housing sector, the President said the industry had greater leverage than most in terms of its spin-off effects of job creation and revenue.
The Guyana Marriott Hotel was constructed under the Donald Ramotar Government and was officially opened in April 2015. It includes a total of 192 rooms and five suites across nine floors, and provided jobs for around 250 people and about 100 indirectly.
The US$51 million project first launched in November 2011.