Guyana invests $20M to boost tourism potential in South Rupununi

While the North Rupununi has been developed to a stage where it is tourism-worthy, the South Rupununi is now gradually progressing with substantial development, including $20 million invested over the last three years.
It took several decades for the South Rupununi to reach its current stage, and what is being done now with partners in a highly technical ecosystem is aimed at ensuring that the South Rupununi community would be on par with the North within the next couple of years.

This message was relayed by Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Kamrul Baksh, to some 15 media operatives during a media familiarization trip to Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) earlier this week.
Baksh has said that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, investments have been in the works for the South Rupununi region.
“We have been working on a special program for the South Rupununi as a tourism circuit. We’ve been working formally with the circuit for about three years now, just after COVID-19, and part of this familiarization trip will highlight several of the products we’ve been working on.” Baksh has said.
Properties such as Wichita Bay and Saddle Mountain provide accommodation, Baksh explained, and efforts are being made to create new experiences for the South Rupununi community.
The North Rupununi has received extensive support, but the South also offers incredible products. Through the Product Development Division, efforts are underway to create more experiential offerings for those wishing to explore this region deeper into Guyana.
The $20 million injected into the tourism project is not a one-time contribution, but would be ongoing, as other sums of money would soon be expended in it.
“So far, we have invested over $20 million into the circuit over the last two to three years. We will continue to support the South Rupununi community because we believe that the value propositions the South offers to Guyana’s overall tourism product is immense,” he said.
So far, the Moray-Moray experience at Katoonarib has been completed, among other initiatives. These areas are key to providing visitors with a firsthand experience of Indigenous activities such as the making of cassava bread making. Visitors can also engage in weaving or plaiting, and gain an in-depth view of arrow-making, all of which are vital cultural practices for the South Rupununi community.
To further enhance these efforts, support from other stakeholders has also been received.
“We are also very supportive of the work that Visitor Rupununi has been doing and continues to do. There is a new executive, and we will strengthen ties to continue the good work in South Rupununi. This would ensure that, in the coming years, with the communities and private ranches, elevation of the product can be done in an accelerated manner.”
Other sources of funding have also contributed to the ministry’s efforts. “We are supporting that venture, and I must add that we have enjoyed great partnerships with Compete Caribbean, who supported us on this project here in the South. They have committed and pledged to provide more funding for product development, training and marketing in the next cycle…Over the next two years, we will work very closely with them and all the partners in South Rupununi to continue building out the strong product that the South has,” he said.
Baksh also discussed the strategies for targeting both the Guyanese market and international markets for tourism promotion. Speaking to a reporter from this publication, he revealed that one of the efforts to increase awareness was the media familiarization trip, to get the public acquainted with the region so that they can help publicize it to a larger audience.
“I think it starts with you, (the media) that’s what we do with the local media familiarisation group here. By hosting local media, we can showcase these products on their platforms and familiarise Guyanese with them; that’s one key area of recognition. For international markets, of course, this is why we attend global trade shows. We were just at the World Travel Market, and we continue to work with our market representation firms globally. Once international tour operators are here, we ensure they add these experiences to their itineraries. That’s how we do it,” he has said.