Georgetown: His Excellency, President Donald Ramotar has emphasized that his Administration will continue to place prominence on the development of new sectors in the country, particularly the burgeoning tourism sector.
The Guyanese Head of State made this assertion, yesterday while meeting with several Caribbean/ Canadian media representatives at the Guyana Consulate in Toronto.
President Ramotar was joined by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Irfaan Ali, Guyana’s Consul General in Toronto, Ms. Sattie Sawh and the Vice President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) Mr. Christopher Nascimento.
President Ramotar and this high level delegation are in Toronto to attend the annual Independence Festival on Sunday June 23rd; close to 14 Guyanese businesses will be represented there.
In addressing the gathering, the Head of State explained that in the time that has elapsed since his presidency, a new situation has developed and his Government is doing everything to ensure that Social sector programmes are not compromised and that political stability is maintained.
“Over the last seven years the economy continued to gorw though many countries were facing financial crisis. During this time, the economic base was broadened and we have moved away from the tradition sectors and saw the emergence of new segments of the economy, including manufacturing, agriculture and services,” he said.
He noted that Government continues to invest in Social Sectors including Health, Housing, Water, to emphasize he explained that 30 percent of the National Budget is spent on the Social Sector.
He stated, “The challenge is to keep moving ahead. We are moving away from a heavily indebted country to one where the IDB and the World Bank has categorized Guyana as Low- Middle Income developing Country.”
Expanded Infrastructure
In fielding questions on the importance of the Independence Festival and the thrust the develop the tourism sector in Guyana, President Ramotar pointed out that there is the need to expand the existing infrastructure to continue the growth; which is one of the primary reasons why the Administration is concentrating on the development of new sectors, and is working on the upgrading and expansion of new hotels, transportation system, the expansion and improvement of existing roadways (Linden- Lethem road) and the airport expansion, the deep water harbour, cheap energy through the Amelia Falls Hydro Project.
“Once we get these developments underway we can then move up to the developed country status,” he opined.
Harnessing the Potential of the Tourism Sector
The Guyanese head of State reiterated that that great prominence is currently being placed on promoting tourism in Guyana including the development of sports tourism and the resuscitation of cricket in Guyana; he was referring to the CPL matches that are to be played in Guyana.
Meanwhile, Tourism Industry and Commerce Minister, Irfaan Ali assured that the Tourism Sector will in future emerge to be one of the major growth poles for Guyana.
He called attention to the major promotional and marketing campaign currently underway in Canada and the United States.
“Within the next five years Tourism will be among the top three sectors in Guyana,” Minister Ali declared.
The Tourism Minister acknowledged that airlift has been a challenge, particularly with the exit of delta Airlines this year; he however assured that efforts are currently underway to engage additional airlines, including Fly Jamaica; this airline is expected to begin operations in July.
He acknowledged the continued efforts by Caribbean Airlines to mitigate some of the impact of Delta’s withdrawal.
“Even though CAL’s pricing is sharp, they have done a lot of good in filling the gap created. By the end of July, Fly Jamaica is expected to start its GT to NY route and a month after that they are to start the Canada Route,” he explained.
In addition, Ali spoke of initial discussions with COPA Air as well as other private airlines interested in servicing the Guyana route.
In his address, Mr.Nascimento , also representing the Private Sector in Guyana, announced that the relationship between he private Sector and the Government in Guyana is presently at its strongest , as ongoing collaborative efforts across the board are bearing fruit and assign to the country’s overall development.
He said, “the Tourism Sector in Guyana is remarkable …looking back over the last ten years it was a fledgling industry and the private sector is pleased by this and our presence at the Festival, at the behest of the Government, demonstrates this close collaboration .”
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