Georgetown, Guyana (August 12, 2015) – Colgrain House has been identified as the new home of the Ministry of Tourism. Minister of Tourism, Catherine Hughes, who was part of today’s post-Cabinet press briefing, at the Ministry of the Presidency, said that this building is representative of Guyana’s tourism product, which includes heritage tourism.
The Minister used the opportunity to speak on the thrust of her to better market destination Guyana to the rest of the world. One of the key parts of this new push is the development of the hospitality industry. In this regard, she informed that six individuals have been selected from hotels in Guyana and the Carnegie School of Home Economics to undergo a three-month training programme on important aspects relating to the hospitality industry. This programme will be conducted at the Crane Hotel in Barbados.
This opportunity is made possible under bilateral agreements that were negotiated at the level of CARICOM.
Minister Hughes added that the development of a hospitality institute in Guyana is being pursued. She said that the former Tourism Minister, Irfaan Ali, had looked at the PomMarine school/hotel in Barbados as a model for that institute. However, the Ministry will be examining another model in Antigua before deciding on the best option for Guyana.
“We want to build on what we already have so we will be ensuring that the Carnegie School plays an important part of this training development; they will be the practical training arm of the Ministry,” the Tourism Minister said.
Turning her attention to upcoming events within the sector, she informed that Guyana will be represented at annual bird watching fair in Rutland, England next week. She noted that bird watching is an important niche market, which the country has been successfully exploiting; attracting large numbers of bird watchers to see the wide array of birds in Guyana.
Additionally, Guyana will once again host a flotilla of yachts, which are expected to dock in the Essequibo River in the next three weeks. Minister Hughes said that the country has tremendous potential when it comes to yachting that is yet to be adequately explored.
She explained that Guyana is considered a safe haven when compared to other Caribbean countries which are usually plagued by storms during the hurricane season, which is why the yachting community is looking at the possibility of establishing a marina in the Essequibo River.
The Minister will be travelling to Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday to make a presentation on what Guyana can offer to the Yachting Committee, which was founded 14 years ago in Chaguaramas and now has close to 100 members.
The establishment of a marina in Guyana will create jobs and will be a major boost to the tourism industry as a whole.
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