In one of the customary messages marking World Tourism Day yesterday, the Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Kamrul Baksh issued the usual glowing descriptors but there were no hard facts.
“Guyana’s tourism sector continues to grow. More visitors are arriving, new experiences are being developed, and businesses are investing in the services and facilities that support the destination”, Mr Baksh said.
Given the state’s expenditure in promoting tourism in many directions the public must be told how exactly the country’s revenues are being put to work and what returns are being achieved. What would help the public immensely are figures that show the actual numbers of tourists that are coming, from which countries, the length of the stay and the average spend. The figures usually delivered by the government show the total traffic into and out of the country. We can no longer use that as a barometer. We need to know how many people are actually coming as tourists- whether overseas-based Guyanese or foreigners – and how many are arriving for the business sector and may then take in an occasional experience. Only then can analysts begin to gauge the trends.
With the increased number of hotels and several large ones to be commissioned, the occupancy pressure is on. What is the average occupancy rate of these new hotels, what level do they require to break even or turn a profit? It has been evident that Guyana has gone out of its way to corral international conferences apparently with the aim of bumping up occupancy rates. Hosting of these conferences are coming at a substantial cost to the national purse and cannot be sustained.
It is the varied tourism experiences here that will ultimately determine whether the sector is a success and justifies the expenditure on it. What are the top ten experiences and what was the non-resident traffic to them over the last five years? This is the type of data that has to be produced by the GTA.
What impact is infrastructural readiness and the cost of air fares to Kaieteur Falls and other destinations having? All of that is shrouded in the mist that rises from the falls when the majestic Potato crashes over it. No sector can have an unchecked draw on the finances of the country. So, as in every other sector there must be accountability and cost-benefit analyses.
The theme for this year is “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism”. As much as AI might begin making jobs redundant and answer the queries of tourists it is still the human touch and the actual experience that will determine whether the sector is reaching its potential.
This was affirmed in the message from Minister of Tourism, Susan Rodrigues who said in part “…the future of tourism cannot be about technology alone. It must remain about people. AI should enhance the creativity, knowledge and warmth of our tourism workers, entrepreneurs and communities, rather than diminish the human connection that remains central to the tourism experience”.
The minister partook of the launching on Saturday of a second branch of the Indian cuisine restaurant, Aagman at Vreed-en-Hoop. In a statement yesterday, the Minister noted that restaurants form an important part of the visitor experience and contribute to the development of tourism circuits. She welcomed Aagman’s decision to reinvest in its business after 13 years of operation.
“Every investment like this creates economic activity beyond the establishment itself. It creates jobs, supports suppliers, generates demand for goods and services, and provides opportunities for people to develop skills and build careers,” Minister Rodrigues said.
The trajectory isn’t always predictable. The Minister would be aware that just weeks earlier the Atlantis Cuisine restaurant in the West Central Mall, Groenveldt which had opened in a blaze of publicity closed just under three years after it opened. No reason was given but it was a blow to the outlook for the sector and jobs were also lost.
There is a lot of money in tourism. It is really a question of whether we are in a position to attract it. Earlier this month, the Jamaican group Sandals Resorts, which has set the regional benchmark for tourism entered a mega deal with cruise line Royal Caribbean. According to the Jamaica Gleaner, Royal Caribbean Group’s agreement to buy half of Sandals Resorts International implies that the Jamaican hotel chain will earn roughly US$600 million a year in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation which puts it on par with some of Europe’s largest resort groups. Royal Caribbean will pay about US$3 billion for a 50 per cent equity interest in Sandals and Beaches resorts.
Whether we can aspire to this level of success depends on if the traditional tourist can be convinced it is safe to come here, that abominations like the road to Timehri do not exist, that they would not be at risk of sand trucks hurtling down the road or the traffic chaos in the city, transportation to the hinterland is reasonably inexpensive, the catastrophic sinking of an 87-year-old ferry would not recur and that the level of service is consistently high. The expected tourism training school might take care of the latter but there is still much to be told about the real state of the sector and what exactly the state’s input is producing.
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