GTA records 23% increase in visitors for 2021

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has announced that it has recorded a 23 per cent increase in visitor arrival for 2021 when compared to 2020, painting an indication of “resilience” in times of the COVID pandemic.
A recap of the tourism sector for last year showed that reopening international borders resulted in a stark improvement in the visitor arrival statistics.
As of September 2021, the total visitor arrival figure stood at 106,428. This reflected a 23 per cent overall increase when compared to 2020. The United States of America recorded the highest arrivals at 68 per cent, followed by the Caribbean at 16 per cent, and Canada at five per cent. In 2021, 64 per cent of visitors travelled to Destination Guyana for holiday, 12 per cent for business, 10 per cent for visiting relatives or friends and 14 per cent for other reasons.
“So far, Guyana would have contributed a total expenditure of approximately $24 billion to the local economy up to September 2021, based on the average expenditure per visitor per type at US 1060,” the GTA stated in its missive.
“Regardless of this growth, it is important that we maintain the standards that have been developed and adhered to, to win this fight against the COVID-19 pandemic…A consistent level of support is needed by tourism businesses to ensure that the sector continues to recover safely.”
Through the support from the GTA, there has been a marked increase in tourism businesses being licensed. To date, 15 tour operators, seven tourism accommodation establishments (hotels, interior lodges or resorts), and eight tourist guides were licensed by the GTA. Additionally, 56 tourism businesses were granted conditional approvals for reopening.
The inspection efforts provided by the GTA supported the tourism businesses with their preparation for a safe reopening through a 2-step process which entailed submission of a written copy of Standard Operating Procedures for a desk review. This was followed by an on-site inspection of businesses to verify the implementation of the SOPs and conditional approval by the GTA.
On the aspect of training and capacity, it was noted that the Authority continues to work towards strengthening resilience and improving the products offered of the industry. Key training sessions were executed in areas of delivering quality service, first aid and CPR, culinary arts, event planning, successful taxi drives and more importantly, hygiene protocols. A total of 1507 persons were trained for 2021 in these areas.
“Most notably, recognising the challenges that communities within the interior regions have faced in implementing the recommended health, hygiene and sanitation protocols at a business level the GTA the support from Inter-American Development Bank (IDB Lab), Wilderness Explorers (WE) and Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI Global) had embarked on a month-long training session in the Rupununi Region.”
This hygiene and sanitation protocols training, as part of the safe lodges, safe guests and safe communities project was updated to reflect CARPHA guidelines, US CDC guidelines, Adventure Travel Trade Association guidelines as well as best practices that the GTA and WE have seen in the Rupununi.
The Product Development team played a significant role in developing new, safe experiences, not just for the domestic but also the regional and international markets.
As a result of extensive product assessment, community outreaches, and extensive training opportunities, a record-breaking seven new tourism experiences have been developed and launched during Tourism Awareness Month, 2021. This included Warapoka, Santa Aratack Mission, St Cuthbert’s Mission, Bimichi Tours, Taste of Freedom Tour, Canje Sunset Tours, Fort Nassau Tours and Doe Park Eco Lodge.