Guyana records 9.2% tourists increase

Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has recorded a 9.2 per cent increase in tourists to Guyana compared to the same period last year.
In its mid-year re port, the GTA revealed that Guyana has since gained 122,967 visitors for the period January- May 2019 compared to 112,578 persons over the same period last year.
Visitors from the Caribbean account for 49.4 per cent, while those from the United States and Canada account for 31.1 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively.
In 2018, Guyana had recorded a 17 per cent increase in visitors’ arrivals up to September. As such, the sector was given a massive boost with $305 million being allocated to GTA in the 2019 Budget and $93 million to the Department of Tourism.
Former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin had noted that the increase was given in recognition of the importance of the tourism sector.
Guyana had also recorded the highest increase in growth in the tourism sector within the Caribbean during the first half of 2018, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation during a State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) held in The Bahamas. In March of this year, Guyana was awarded in Berlin after being named the number one “Best of Ecotourism” destination in the world from among the top 100 destinations selected by a panel of experts who reviewed sustainability success stories submitted by destinations worldwide. The newly-created “Best of Ecotourism” category was added in 2019, and put Guyana up against very well-known and experienced ecotourism destinations like Sierra Gorda in Mexico, Tmatboey in Cambodia, and the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.
GTA President Brian Mullis had said of Guyana, ““Guyana has expended considerable effort in recent years not only to develop new and innovative eco-friendly tourism products as a part of the national Green State Development Strategy, but also to incorporate sustainable tourism best practices into all aspects of its strategy, planning and programming while educating the world about its deep commitment to maximising the positive socio-economic and conservation outcomes from tourism.”
Further, Guyana was also honoured at the “Golden City Gate” Film Awards held in Berlin as the winner of the ‘Destinations’ category. Destination Guyana took first place for its nature destination video in the worldwide video competition that has been running for 19 years.