Guyana is set to host for the first time the 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism (CITUR) of the Organisation of American States (OAS).
The meeting, to be held March 21-22, will be hosted at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, and be attended by several international and regional tourism officials.
According to the Director General of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, the National Coordinator of the XXIV Congress, the response has been significant, and 25 out
Business and Tourism Development Minister Dominic Gaskin speaking at the launching of the Congress in January
of the 43 countries have already confirmed their attendance.
“What I am hearing from the OAS authorities is that this is perhaps the best-attended Congress. If that turns out to be so, then Guyana deserves the kudos,” Sinclair said.
OAS Conference Specialist Luiz Coimbra underscored the importance of the collaboration which would arise from the meeting of tourism stakeholders.
“Nobody can do tourism on its own. No country can solve the tourism question on its own. We all need to be connected, not only because the problems are common, but also because each country can offer complementary things, and we are stronger if we have common standards for tourism,” he said.
The OAS representative added that the Congress was the culmination of an extended period of work between the Organisation and local representatives.
The two-day Congress will be held under the theme, “Connecting the Americas through Sustainable Tourism.”
It will be preceded by a tourism exhibition organised by the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana on March 20.
Guyana is expected to benefit significantly from hosting the 24th CITUR. This is according to Business and Tourism Development Minister Dominic Gaskin, who underscored the importance of the event and the benefits to be realised from staging it in Guyana.
Speaking at the launching of the Congress in January, Minister Gaskin maintained that the Congress would raise the country’s tourism and business profiles, and would also contribute to Guyana’s economic growth in several other ways.
