Latin America now accounts for 9% of Guyana’s air travel market

Guyana’s air connectivity with Latin America has improved in recent years, with the region now accounting for approximately nine per cent of the country’s air travel market, driven in part by expanded services such as Avianca’s flights to Colombia.
This growth was revealed by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Director, Kamrul Baksh during at the just concluded State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2026.

The conference, which was hosted in Guyana, brought together more than 300 delegates from across the Caribbean and beyond, for a week of discussions, knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
“We have also improved connections in Latin America. In Colombia, Avianca has now, well, has commenced, you know, flights within the last few years, and we have seen the growth. It has translated in about 9 per cent of the market now comes from Latin America, and that’s where the conversation is going.”
According to Baksh, this growth has been supported by Guyana’s efforts to diversify its tourism markets and expand its range of tourism products, including sports tourism.
“[We are focusing on] How we diversify our markets, so not only to remain heavily dependent up north, but how could we further diversify and make the, you know, the portfolio a bit more resilient, so, you know, if there are external shocks that obviously affect the tourism industry, we are in a better place to recover. So, growing those markets is very important, diversifying the portfolio in terms of products, getting into the business market, getting into sports tourism, health and wellness, agritourism.”
Meanwhile, speaking about the growth of Guyana’s tourism sector, Baksh highlighted the introduction of more than 80 new tours and experiences over the past six years.
“I spoke about diversifying the product portfolio, so within the last, I would say, last six years, we launched about 80 tours, 80 new experiences all across Guyana, from food experiences to adventure products to nature products, in all of the major tourism circuits. I think we have done a very good job in partnership with the private sector as well. I want to, at this time, shout out to the private sector, and kudos for bringing additional experiences to the market.”
Guyana has also recorded increased airline investment over the past six years, with carriers adding routes and expanding connectivity to the country. North America remains Guyana’s core air travel market, while connectivity within the Caribbean has also improved in recent years, including the introduction of direct flights from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Baksh also highlighted the benefits of hosting conferences and exhibitions, noting that Guyana had hosted more than 20 such events in 2026, attracting thousands of visitors and generating business for the wider tourism sector.
“Guyana has hosted perhaps more than 20 conferences and exhibitions for this year alone, so it’s been great. We are hosting a few more in the last quarter, and the numbers are very promising for us. In excess of 20,000 persons are attending these conferences. More than 12,000 persons came in specifically for the conferences, and when we have discussions with the restaurants and bars, you know, and the complementary services for tourism, they are experiencing a lot of the benefits, so they want to see more of this market.”
Baksh said efforts must continue to attract more business from key markets and build on the progress already made. He also highlighted the expansion of community-based tourism, particularly in the Rupununi, where communities have been developing tourism products for decades.
“And we need to plant more seeds in the core markets to ensure that we get more of this type of business. We spoke about community tourism, so we are scaling this up. We want to build on our foundation, which was laid way in the ‘90s. We had many pioneering communities down in the south of Guyana, so the Rupununi corridor is known for this type of product. We are expanding this particular community. We won the CTO’s 2026 Community-Based Tourism Award.”