Georgetown: Millions of tourists from the diaspora and around the world would now be able to find and book Guyana’s unique tourism products, thanks to Kaietour.com, the global Guyanese booking engine – available at www.kaietour.com and on the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
The innovative online booking platform was launched by Mr. Salaudeen Nausrudeen, Founder/CEO of Kaietour.com, on Friday at the Herdmanston Lodge, Georgetown, Guyana; in the presence of Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce – Hon. Oneidge Walrond, Foreign Secretary of Guyana, Mr. Robert Persaud, as well as tourism and private sector leaders.
In his address, Mr. Nausrudeen, a Florida based Guyanese Technology Entrepreneur with a focus on business solutions, said the booking portal took his team more than 18 months and over GYD$60M to develop.
Kaietour.com helps travelers to easily search, find, book and pay for travel to Guyana or anywhere else in the world with a wide selection of flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, tour packages and even taxi service. It is also an easy and affordable way for Guyanese tour operators, hotels, resorts, local airlines, car rental companies and taxis to list their inventory to attract global tourists, of which the Diaspora is a significant segment.
Mr. Nausrudeen said more than 90 percent of global travel is booked online since it puts the power of options and flexibility in the hands of tourists.
“Kaietour.com was developed because Guyana’s tourism operators are at a disadvantage. Guyana’s rich and unique tourism inventory is not readily available for booking and purchasing online and therefore, invisible to global tourists, ultimately resulting in no bookings”, he pointed out.
This, he said, results in opportunity loss of millions of dollars for tourism operators and minuscule growth for the sector.
He stressed that, “If you’re in tourism and you’re not online or listed on a booking engine like Kaietour.com, then you’re not open for business.”
The Founder/CEO of Kaietour.com also highlighted his plans to establish its global call center in Guyana, which will employ over 50 Customer Service Agents and operational staff.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Hon. Oneidge Walrond who was the featured speaker, thanked and recognized Mr. Nausrudeen for his confidence and support in Guyana’s tourism development. She stated such an App helps to not only showcase what the country has to offer, but also to allow persons to make bookings seamlessly possible online.
The Minister added that Kaietour.com has filled a long needed gap in the industry and encouraged tourism service providers to sign onto the app, noting that all parties involved stand to benefit at no additional cost.
The Tourism Minister pointed out that even as the platform seeks to put a spotlight on tourism destinations, Government is doing its part to continuously improve the standard of service offered, through investments, training and by launching new tour packages within regions. Minister Walrond posited that these efforts would be in vain without a booking portal like Kaietour.com.
Mr. Persaud, Foreign Secretary of Guyana, congratulated Mr. Nausrudeen on the launch of this new innovative platform, which he said would provide the support network to bridge the gap between Guyana and the Diaspora. He noted too that as the Guyana economy expands and grows, the Kaietour platform is ideal to plan for travel to Guyana, with convenient access to Guyana’s tourism product.
The platform offers a complete booking experience, including full pre-payment, negating the need for any cash transactions by travelers; while in Guyana.
Additionally, Kaietour.com has teamed up with Mobile Money Guyana, which will serve as the payments processor for tourism service providers. Ms. Bobita Ram, General Manager of MMG stated that their partnership with Kaietour.com will help to transform the tourism industry.
Ms. Ram said “This partnership leverages our convenient and secure network with a new tourism product – Kaietour”.
Meanwhile, also endorsing Kaietour was Mr. Gerry Gouveia Jr. – President of the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana & Dir. of Aviation – Roraima Group, who was one of the first to sign up his hotel and resort to be marketed on the platform.
President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mr. Harrinand Persaud said the app provides the opportunity for both travellers and operators to benefit, while encouraging his members to sign up and have their inventory listed.
The launching ceremony also attracted the commendation of the diplomatic corps, including High Commissioner of India to Guyana – H.E Dr. K.J Srinivasa, other key members of the private sector such as the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), tour operators, resort and hotel owners, car rentals and taxi service owners.
Throughout the development stages, Kaietour.com’s team held consultations with the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Hon. Oneidge Walrond, executives of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), THAG, dozens of tour operators and members of the private sector.
Kaietour.com extensive global inventory includes:
- 900+ airlines worldwide
- Flights from and to 185+ countries
- Connection to 500,000 hotels worldwide
- Hotels in more than 20,100 cities
- Largest source of deeply discounted rates
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