A new Guyana beckons Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
November 7, 2003

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GUYANA is observing Tourism Awareness Month all November. As such, the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce is collaborating with Guyana Tourism Authority and the private sector to showcase the country as an eco-tourism haven.

The theme of the Month: A new Guyana beckons.

As the theme implies, eco-tourism is relatively new industry in Guyana.

So what is eco-tourism? And how does it differ from tourism?

Many people believe that tourism is a service industry that takes care of visitors when they are away from home. Some restrict the definition of tourism by the number of miles people are away from home, overnight stays in paid accommodations, or travel for the purpose of pleasure or leisure. Others think that travel and tourism should not even be referred to as an industry.

The World Tourism Organization defines tourism as comprising "the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes not related to the exercise of an activity remunerated from within the place visited."

Eco-tourism, on the other hand, is most commonly used to describe any recreation in natural surroundings.

"Eco-tourism" is said to have gotten its name from Hector Ceballos-Lascurian, one of Mexico's top architects and Director-General of the International Consultancy on Eco-tourism. Called the High Priest of Ecotourism, Ceballos-Lascurian reputedly coined the term back in 1983.

Since then, he has carried the eco-tourism gospel to more than 60 countries.

We're not sure that Guyana is one of them. What we do know is that the Guyana Government, the Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and other non-governmental organizations and agencies are working very hard to make eco-tourism a strong force shaping the use of the country's tropical rainforests.

They have to. Although eco-tourism is a relatively new industry in Guyana - the natural environment alternative to the triple 'S' package of its sister Caribbean islands of sun, sea and sand, it is said to be the fastest-growing segment of the tourism/hospitality industry.

Some estimates are that it is growing at a rate of 15 percent annually compared with global tourism growth of 3-5 percent. Nature oriented tourism is currently the largest foreign exchange earner for South Africa, Kenya and Costa Rica.

Realization of eco-tourism's potential has led to the Tourism Ministry and the autonomous Guyana Tourism Authority scheduling a long list of events intended to identify fledgling eco-tourism sites and the role that private agencies and Guyanese can play in helping to promote the importance of travel and tourism to rural and hinterland communities.

Visits to No. 63 Beach, lectures, photographic exhibitions, Rupununi Day, Bartica Town Day, beauty pageants - the list goes on - have all been organized to underscore the direction Guyana is headed.

As one Internet site describes it, the fact that Guyana still has most of its forested areas intact, with 80% of the country under forest, with some parts still considered virgin jungle, sets the country apart from many other destinations offering eco-tourism visits.

In addition to this, many of the flora and fauna - over 700 native species of birds alone - are still around, though some are listed as endangered species.

The country also boasts 276 breathtaking waterfalls, the most famous of course being the majestic Kaieteur Falls.

Not surprisingly, the number of eco-tourism resorts in Guyana is increasing. So, we hope, are the involvement of people in places like Georgetown, which currently faces a litter-bug problem, to make eco-tourism a major contributor to Guyana becoming a prosperous country.