Just days after Guyana hosted the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC), it has been announced that the country has been “selected” to host the 2027 Sustainability is Responsibility (SIR) Summit of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), scheduled for March 7–10, 2027.
What is going on? Today’s Kiskadee Watch carries a report about the third quarter’s oil earnings at a staggering US$1.89b. That is no licence, however, for this government to engage in flagrantly wasteful expenditure, all apparently in a bid to artificially boost occupancy at struggling hotels.
Tourism should definitely be a key pillar of the diversification of the economy away from oil. However, the hosting of a conference must not simply be sought because Guyana has the money. There must be some organic link to the growth of the country’s tourism sector and a material increase in tourists.
One could make an allowance for the CTO conference considering regional solidarity and the need for a reality check on the industry here. Even then, multi-destination packages in the Caribbean have been spoken about ad nauseam for decades before oil arrived and Guyana is yet to see any major increase in tourists using another destination – such as Jamaica or St Lucia – as a jumping off point.
If Guyana was Jamaica or The Bahamas, for instance, this USTOA event might make sense. However, this country, outside of US-based Guyanese, is not a major destination for US tourists. Has the USTOA mounted any visits to this country at all in the last five years? There seems to be no record of such. Even if there was did any such interest result in a significant increase in bona fide tourists or birdwatchers from Montana or Maine? There is no natural nexus between Guyana and the USTOA.
Local tour operators would no doubt be pleased at this hosting decision but it will not sit well with the average Guyanese watching on at the frittering away of oil money. It is not only in the tourism sector these conferences are being organised. INTERPOL was a huge surprise given the very weak and challenged security environment here. Even more puzzling was the hosting at the end of September of a conference of aviation regulators, accident investigators, industry representatives and other experts from around the world not so long after embarrassing intrusions by animals on hinterland airstrips created waves. There was also the reprehensible lockdown on information on the major GDF helicopter crash in 2023.
Guyana would not be considered the first choice for these conferences based on its standing. It is clearly coughing up the money to host conferences that other countries would wisely see as wasteful expenditure. Has it become the mission now of every minister in cabinet to seek out conferences around the world and have Guyana put its hand up in the air?
For the three recent conferences: SOTIC, INTERPOL and aviation safety, we call on the Guyana Government to provide a detailed breakdown on the country’s expenditure on these conferences including any rates paid or subsidised for delegates. This is serious money and the Ali administration should not be given the leeway to spend the people’s money indiscriminately.
Is there a cost/benefit analysis being done for these conferences and other expenditures? Did a Guyana delegation really attend the Toronto International Film Festival and is such expenditure warranted when so many households are struggling to stay above the water?
The bewildering expenditure on these conferences with undoubtedly more to come should attract the interest of the Economic Services Committee of Parliament whenever its recess comes to an end.
Speaking about the USTOA conference, Tourism Minister Susan Rodrigues had a lot to say.
“Guyana has made a deliberate decision to develop tourism around the very things that make our country distinctive: our extraordinary natural environment, our cultural diversity and the people who keep our traditions and communities alive. Hosting the 2027 USTOA Sustainability is Responsibility Summit gives us the opportunity to show international tour operators how these assets translate into tourism experiences, business opportunities and livelihoods for Guyanese. Importantly, this is an opportunity to strengthen Guyana’s presence in the North American travel market and build direct relationships with the companies that can bring more visitors to our shores. As we expand the sector, we remain focused on ensuring that tourism creates lasting economic value for our people while protecting the natural and cultural heritage that makes Guyana worth discovering”, the minister said.
There is no tour operator in this industry who has not heard variations of what the minister said for the umpteenth time. Our tourism product needs sharpening, staff adequately trained and infrastructure to match. Hosting this conference will not make an iota of difference except for burning a hole in the country’s finances.
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