Small numbers of visitor arrivals coupled with high costs of operating interior resorts are among the principal challenges facing the local tourist industry. And according to Managing Director of Roraima Airways Captain Gerry Gouveia Guyana’s interior resorts are currently operating at an occupancy rate of no more than “around 10 per cent.”

Speaking with Stabroek Business recently Gouveia said that operating costs for the country’s interior resorts far exceed the returns accruing from visitor arrivals. “At this particular juncture it has to be said the local tourist resorts are essentially an investment in the future of the tourism product,” Gouveia said.

According to Captain Gouveia most of the country’s resorts survive because they are parts of larger companies and therefore benefit from subsidies. He said that the Arrowpoint Nature Resort which is owned by the Roraima Group is currently operating at around 10 per cent occupancy rate and that there may well be cases in which some resorts were operating at an even lower occupancy rate.

Gouveia explained that operating costs for interior resorts include road, air and river transportation, meals, accommodation for guests. “When these are added to running costs including salaries for workers it is simply not possible to run a resort at a profit with such a low occupancy rate,” he said.

Gouveia conceded that in the present circumstances the cost of travelling to and staying at local resorts was not affordable to many Guyanese. “The simple truth is that many Guyanese are not afforded the opportunity of experiencing the beauty of Guyana because of what it costs to enjoy that experience.”

Gouveia said that he was aware of observations that have been made about Guyanese not being able to afford the cost of visiting the interior. He added that his own company’s response to the problem has been to operate special concessionary trips for children, church groups and social organizations and that Roraima was prepared to continue to facilitate trips of that kind for groups of a minimum of 25 persons.

Asked whether he felt that state subsidies for interior trips may allow more Guyanese to see the interior Gouveia said that he did not think that that was the solution to the problem. “It really is a matter of creating an environment in which the tourism sector can grow to a point where it becomes more affordable for home-based Guyanese,” he said.

According to Gouveia the low level of visitor arrivals and its impact on the profitability of the tourism sector puts into perspective the critical importance of Cricket World Cup. “The real significance of the Cricket World Cup for the tourism sector is that it can significantly open the door to tourist arrivals and provide the impetus that the sector needs to ensure its growth, expansion and profitability,” Gouveia said.