International bird operators praise Guyana as `real thing’
but bemoan lack of infrastructure
By Neil Marks
Guyana Chronicle
February 11, 2007
INTERNATIONAL birding tour operators, who have just completed an 11-day tour of Guyana, are whistling praises for the Guyanese product but are not happy about accommodation, transportation and guides.
Ms. Svetlana Annenkova of Kazakhstan Bird Tours yesterday said she would bring a group of wealthy retired bird enthusiasts and other wildlife lovers from Russia and Kazakhstan in 2008, but she joined with others in expressing concerns that there is just not enough accommodation for visitors.
Mr. Tim Appleton, co-organiser of the British Birdwatching Fair, which Guyana has attended of recent, said some of the transportation provided was “dangerous”.
Mr. Vaughan Ashby, who owns UK-based Birdfinders and organizes some 50 tours worldwide annually, said he could send a tour to Guyana late 2008, but provided that there is a world-class neo-tropical bird guide.
These were the main concerns of the operators, who all expressed delight at the Guyana product.
A representative of MotMot Travel, which offers tours to Trinidad and Tobago, said he would include Guyana on his tours.
He said his clients are always asking for new destinations and Guyana provides “the real thing” and his clients will feel the pioneering spirit of traversing an “unspoilt” destination.
The operators were brought to Guyana under an initiative by the Guyana Tourism Authority and the U.S.-funded Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) project.
Guyana is benefiting from publicity in a number of key birding publications and arising out of this visit, an article will be published in Birds Illustrated.
The Environmental Adventure Company, which attracts researchers from the Smithsonian Institute and the World Wildlife Fund, stated that there is a huge market in the United States that Guyana could attract, not only because of the bird product,
Ms. Joanne Williams, who specializes in Wildlife and Nature Photography, said she too could offer tours to Guyana, but would come back to Guyana next year to make sure the logistics are in place. “The market is there, money is there to be made.”
Mr. Mike Witherick, who operates Ornitholidays, said he would have no problems selling Guyana, since “the wilderness experience is special”.
He said he usually sends groups of 10-14, but with Guyana this is not possible because of the accommodation constraints at the locations, such as Surama and Iwokrama.