“Safety sells tourism” – Security and safety take centre stage on day 2 of ICAO conference

Tourism alone contributes greatly to the Gross Domestic Product of many of the Region’s economies, including Guyana, and as the second day of the Air Transport Meeting got underway in Georgetown, safety and security in the sector were on the agenda.

During his presentation, Programme Manager, Regulatory and International Aviation, Transport Canada, Andrew Larsen, spoke of the need for greater security measures to be implemented on both domestic and international flights.
Larsen said Canada stands ready to lend support in this area to the Region.
“One of the ways Transport Canada will improve aviation safety is through a collaborative approach; through safety promotion, education, training, and through a programme called the Canadian Collaboration Aviation Safety Forum,” Larsen is quoted by the Department of Public Information a saying on Thursday.
Focus was also placed on creating a ‘smart product’ for the Region. This smart product seeks to manage a traveller’s time in an effective way. The intention is to evaluate how the use of technology before, during and after a visit influences the tourist experience.
Smart tourism is seen as a logical progression from traditional tourism and is more e-tourism and technology-based. For now, the initiative is still in the discussion stages, as massive amounts of data sharing would be required for it to actually be implemented.
Also presenting on day two was Chief Executive Officer of LIAT, Julie Reifer-Jones.
Her presentation focused on the decline in intra-regional travels, which she says, is a challenge for the Region that must be addressed immediately.
“Hindering the growth of tourism in the Region, are difficulties with domestic travel connectivity. There are limited policy measures in place to deal with this issue and the CTO and regional heads must take a special look at it”.
Reifer-Jones says once this issue is addressed and rectified, intra-regional travels will increase, thus further developing regional tourism.
The objective of the three-day Air Transport Meeting is to offer practical solutions to remove existing regulatory impediments to air transport liberalisation and to finance the development of quality aviation infrastructure.