Tourism Department working with GuySuCo on ‘Heritage Tourism’
As the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) continues to revamp its image under Government’s overhaul to the sector, a partnership was forged with the Business Ministry’s Tourism Department to develop ‘Heritage Tourism’. GuySuCo on Tuesday said it has a new business stream as a part of the Corporation’s new strategic direction.
The sugar entity stressed that while key components of the new strategic plan focuses on value added products; such as plantation white sugar and cogeneration, and improving the Corporation’s overall capability and efficiencies, “the Corporation has recognised that it is important that the preservation of the invaluable sugar history be factored into the transition programme.”
According to GuySuCo, its new ‘Sustainable Business Model’ will allow it to focus
GuySuCo meeting with the Department of Tourism on Tuesday
on accounting for a Triple Bottom Line (TBL). These components are: economic (financial), environmental and social. The statement outlined that the partnership will ensure that Heritage (Sugar) Tourism becomes integrated into the tourism industry in a structured and well-coordinated way.
The move to establish this latest venture comes as a result of the first meeting that was held on September 24, 2018, where the two sides discussed the partnership and the specifics of the engagement. Moreover, the Sugar Corporation stated that the business line for the Corporation “will be organised around educational as well as relaxation for students, groups, visitors and tourists”.
“The Department of Tourism will support GuySuCo in the development of a ‘Heritage Tourism’ strategy in line with the national tourism policy; assist in defining the strategic direction for tourism relative to sugar; assist in the designing project proposals for funding for the development and creation of heritage and other sites in the sugar industry, including a ‘sugar museum’; determine market opportunities (current and future); establish and ‘Annual Estate Week’ for 2019; training in tourism, heritage tourism and other relevant areas,” the company pointed out.
The Corporation added that it will also build on its engagements with the National Trust of Guyana, National Archives and other relevant agencies “to ensure that the sugar heritage is sufficiently captured, secured and documented as the transition process continues”. These measures follow the downsizing of the sugar industry whereby thousands of sugar workers were retrenched. The Estate of Albion, Blairmont and Uitvlugt remain under GuySuCo’s control while the entities at Wales, Skeldon, East Demerara and Rose Hall were transferred to the Special Purposes Unit.
