The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) says more needs to be done to boost the country’s presence in the regional media and among tour operators and travel agencies.

In a press release THAG said its members were given the opportunity to address the negative perceptions of Guyana particularly regarding crime, at the just concluded Re-Discover the Caribbean Tradeshow held in Barbados. The release said members were able to address the many negative perceptions about Guyana and to market it as a nature tourism destination.

However, members have said that a more collaborative approach by the public and private sector is needed to boost the country in the regional media through the placement of multimedia presentations onto Caribbean programmes. “With the exception of limited coverage in Carib VISION and the placements on the Caribbean Airlines In flight Video, our presence in the regional market is limited,” THAG said.

According to THAG its delegation utilised every opportunity to liaise with regional partners in order to foster closer relations with agents packaging tours across the Caribbean. It said too the BBC’s presentation of Guyana: Lost Land of the Jaguar also gave it a tremendous boost and shifted significantly, the perception of the country. It was also reported that the airing of the documentary also brought many more people to the Guyana booths at the Trade Show as patrons specifically mentioned it and asked for more information about the programme.

Meanwhile, THAG believes that travel agents and partners across the Region should be included in the strategy for national awareness and marketing programmes on development within the destination. It believes that this will ensure that these stakeholders can better understand the product in order to impart the necessary details to their customers.