GuyExpo 2026 opened at the Sophia Exhibition Centre last evening with a record 350 booths allocated, as Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues urged local businesses to use the four-day exhibition to reach new markets and meet potential investors.
This year’s programme includes GuyExpo Business, an initiative to connect buyers and suppliers, as well as the return of the Tourism Village, new product launches, live entertainment and cultural performances.
“Our intention is to ensure that GuyExpo is not simply a place to display products but a space where meaningful business relationships are established and opportunities for growth are created,” Rodrigues said at the opening ceremony.
Speaking under the theme Creating Tomorrow’s Opportunities Through Today’s Investments, Rodrigues said investments in infrastructure, technology, skills, manufacturing and tourism would shape the country’s ability to create jobs and diversify its economy. She said the government and private sector had to work together to help local businesses meet standards, supply goods and services and enter new markets.
Rodrigues said economic progress should also be judged by how widely its benefits are shared. She cited tourism as an example, saying the sector creates work for farmers, manufacturers, transport operators, artisans and entertainers and helps sustain livelihoods in Indigenous communities. She also pointed to investments in healthcare, education, security, housing and social services as ways families could benefit from development.
Rodrigues said Guyana recorded 47,726 visitor arrivals in October, up 12.8 per cent from October 2025 and the highest figure on record for that month. Leisure visitors accounted for 59 per cent of arrivals and business travellers for 17 per cent. Guyana had recorded 408,339 arrivals so far this year, she said, after arrivals rose by 22 per cent in 2025 over 2024.
Over the past six years, the Guyana Tourism Authority had developed and launched 79 tours and tourism experiences, while about 13,000 people had received training in tourism and hospitality, Rodrigues said. She said better air connections would bring more visitors and that the focus now had to be on improving what visitors experience once they arrive.
“When tourism expands, the benefits should reach the farmer who is supplying the hotel, the manufacturer producing its furnishings, small business providing services, and the community developing a new visitor experience,” she said.
November’s Tourism Awareness Month is being observed under the theme Tourism is Everybody’s Business, building on a campaign introduced last year. Rodrigues said the theme reflected the role businesses and communities across the country play in the sector.
She said Guyana had hosted 18 major conferences this year, including the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference. She also noted that Guyana had received the Best Emerging Destination 2026 award at a forum in Brussels and thanked the tourism authority’s team, led by Director Kamrul Baksh.
Rodrigues said 6,553 businesses had registered with the Small Business Bureau over the past six years, including 3,572 women-owned enterprises. She said 75 per cent of the businesses monitored by the bureau remained operational. The bureau had also sponsored 500 small businesses to participate in local and regional expos, giving them an opportunity to showcase their products and reach new customers.
Access to financing remained a major challenge for entrepreneurs, she said. The Guyana Development Bank, launched by President Irfaan Ali, was intended to help entrepreneurs start, strengthen and expand their businesses through financing, mentorship and business support.
Rodrigues credited private-sector support with sustaining GuyExpo over its 41-year history and welcomed Scotiabank among this year’s new sponsors. She urged visitors to support local exhibitors and take part in the networking sessions. She said the expo’s success should be judged by the opportunities it creates as well as the number of exhibitors and visitors it attracts.
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