Rewa Eco-Lodge, Wanderlust Adventures to join tourism reopening

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) on Friday announced that Rewa Eco-Lodge and Wanderlust Adventures GY have received conditional approval, joining nine other businesses that can reopen following the national COVID-19 measures.
Rewa Eco-Lodge is located at the Rewa and Rupununi Rivers in the North Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

The GTA was listed as an essential service under the latest COVID-19-gazetted measures. This development ensures the inspection team can easily access regions and locations that were previously inaccessible, in order to ensure that businesses are up and running again in a safe way.
Businesses that receive conditional approval are reminded to maintain the protocols as outlined by the Guyana Tourism Authority and the nationally gazetted measures. Failure to adhere to these measures would result in the revocation of the conditional approval tied to the COVID-19 measures.
Proprietor of Wanderlust Tours, Roslyn Sewcharran expressed her gratitude upon being granted conditional approval, as it is seen as the start to recovery from the pandemic.
“I cannot wait to assist in the recovery, rebuilding and bouncing back of tourism in Guyana,” she expressed.
The GTA, in its bid to continuously assist businesses to ensure that they are ready for a safe reopening, has ramped up its training and inspection initiatives throughout tourism-focused communities in Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Five (Demerara-Mahaica), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
There is a two-step process that all tourism businesses are expected to follow in order to receive their official approval for reopening. It entails submission of the business’s written Standard Operating Procedures to the GTA for a desk review and on-site inspection to verify the implementation of the SOPs and approval by the GTA.
Domestic and international travellers are recommended to use only approved tourism businesses to book and plan their tour activities. The others include Baganara Island Resort, Hurakabra River Resort, Rock View Lodge, Waikin Ranch, Elite Kayaking & Nature Tours, Atta Rainforest Lodge, Iwokrama River Lodge, Sloth Island Nature Resort and Arrowpoint Nature Resort.
Anyone who chooses to go on tour with a business that has not been assessed and approved by the GTA is putting themselves and their tour group at risk.
The GTA has indicated that lodges have shared that there is strong interest by domestic travellers to venture out to experience nature, especially after being confined to their homes for several months.
Recognising the level of interest in travel, GTA Director Carla James has said that “as tourism businesses receive the conditional approval for reopening, the GTA will roll out a marketing campaign to drive the demand and bookings, so businesses that have been closed for more than eight months can start to generate revenue and re-employ staff who were affected by the pandemic and the lockdowns.” (G12)