Guyana’s hospitality sector rebuilding bigger and better post COVID

By Jarryl Bryan

The global hospitality sector has taken a hit with the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and Guyana is no exception. But after a turbulent year, companies from Linden to Berbice are reporting a steady comeback for domestic tourism.
One such company is Elite Kayaking and Nature Tours, whose founder, Deon Anderson, in an interview with this publication, spoke about how his business has adapted during and post-COVID-19 restrictions.
His tour agency’s adaptation has allowed business to steadily rise, particularly post-COVID pandemic, when restrictions were eased. One of the services provided is a kayaking experience on the sparkling blue lake in Wisroc, Linden.

“Post COVID, the business has been great, with steady rise in visits. We have added new packages over the months with paintball, jet ski rides in the beautiful Riverfront, and for 2022 we will be shipping in our new double-seater kayaks, where persons can experience kayaking with their partner in the same kayak. Double-seater kayaks have that romantic feel and also augers well for large groups,” Anderson explained.

Moving forward into 2022, the 34-year-old Anderson explained that Elite Kayaking and Nature Tours have special packages in store for the tourism community. He noted that details of these tourism specials, which will be a first in Guyana, will be announced in January. But Anderson did provide a sneak preview.

“We will be surely offering special packages for high school groups, frontline workers, as well as special educational tours for 6th formers and University students from all faculties. The Engineering, Agricultural, Health and Environmental prospects of the lake and the unique biodiversity surrounding it offers much opportunities for capacity building and specific learning experiences,” he explained.
“We will also be developing other kayaking routes at other Creeks in Linden, which also lead to the Demerara River. One such route is the iconic Katabulli creek, which once powered the Christiansburg waterwheel, a creek that has a rich fauna and biodiversity to be compared to a live zoological park. Imagine for a moment kayaking down the calm historic creek with parrots, toucans and monkeys swinging above your head, adding to a view that’s unlike any other.”
Anderson is a big believer in Guyanese being aware of, and capitalising on, the eco- splendour of tourism sights in Guyana. As he put it, “this is Guyana, land of eco-tourism, where we can peacefully coexist with our beautiful and amazing environment in the heart of nature, all within less than 2 hrs from the capital city.
“This is just a glimpse of the many things we have in store for 2022. Experiencing Linden with a touch of uniqueness and class.”

Black Water Adventures
Black Water Adventures, a business started by two Americans who fell in love with Guyana and became naturalised citizens, is another example of a tourism-oriented company showing healthy growth in the post-COVID restrictions.
Stephanie Ross, 31, and her husband Dillon started their Guyana experience as volunteers back in 2013. Always lovers of the outdoors, the idea for the business came to the couple as they were exploring the outdoors in Berbice – specifically kayaking on the Canje river.
“We started the process of Black Water last year, but we launched this year August… during the pandemic, the first year, that’s kind of when the idea to start Black Water Adventures came about,” Stephanie explained.
“Because we would be doing things by ourselves, and we thought, why don’t more people come out to the Canje creek? Why don’t people come out and do things like this? So, we went ahead and started the process to get licensed, to get a boat and all that.”
Blackwater offers a number of services, including guided fishing to catch species that include cuffum and piranha. For this service, the company provides the equipment, including the rod to the client.
According to her, business has been steady, and has seen a mixture of locals interested in seeing the rest of their country and foreigners allured by Guyana’s eco-tourism experience.
“Because we started during the pandemic, we actually talked about doing small groups. That’s actually what we specialise in…we don’t have a minimum guest requirement. We can take a solo traveller or up to eight people. So, it can be a family trip or a group of friends,” they explained.
“We have gotten a mix… we’ve gotten several local people from Georgetown come down. We’ve even had people from right in the area that we do the tour come out and tour with us. And then, of course, some international travellers as well,” they explained.
Going forward, Stephanie spoke of some of the plans for the new year. This includes organising camping trips for guests desirous of overnight camping as part of their tourism package.
“We are constantly trying to think of new things to do. But the best thing is, we get to offer customizable trips, so you get to pick what you want to do and we get to cater that trip to you,” Stephanie said.
“But we are looking forward to possibly doing some camping trips, some overnight trips. That is not something that we have really done recently, but we want to secure a safe location to do that, and the guests can enjoy camping.”