The Tourism and Hos-pitality Association of Guyana (THAG) will be instituting a Tourism Development Fund (TDF), which will come into effect on April 1.
Making the announcement on March 19 at the Cara Lodge, THAG President Shaun McGrath said the TDF is based on similar initiatives launched in Barbados in 2003, Antigua in 2012, St Lucia in 2013 and which is scheduled to be launched in Trinidad and Tobago later this year.
The fund, according to THAG Vice President Andrea de Caires, will see “tourists supporting tourism” as each guest will be asked to voluntarily donate US$1 to the fund for each night of their stay. According to THAG, the fund will allow the association to bring something more tangible to the table and to be in a position of greater independence.
In the previously mentioned countries, McGrath said, 92% of all visitors agree to make donations and those who do not can request that the charges be removed from their bill at the end of their stay.
He pointed out that in one year a similar initiative in Barbados raised US$750,000, while in Antigua US$100,000 has been raised from eight contributing hotels.
He stressed that visitors will be informed in writing at the beginning of their stay that the donation is voluntary and that a request can be made to have the charges removed from their bill at the end of their stay.
It is expected that the TDF will be used to directly impact the tourism industry in three areas: marketing, product development and training initiatives.
McGrath highlighted the fact that the fund is not expected to initially raise enough to fund a comprehensive national marketing strategy but can finance specific marketing efforts, such as the booking engine and targeted advertising or sales blitzes in neighbouring countries.
In the area of product development, the fund is expected to contribute to the preservation and maintenance of historical and heritage sites as well as fund micro-tourism businesses.
Training initiatives supported by the TDF will aim to better the chances young people have of finding employment in the industry as well as achieve higher standards in the industry through retraining.
The TDF will be managed by a special committee of private and public sector representatives who will be responsible for making sure that the projects undertaken by the fund are successful.
The committee is currently chaired by Guyanese business icon Dr Yesu Persaud and has five contributing properties: Cara Lodge Hotel, Grand Coastal Hotel, Herd-manston Lodge, Roraima Duke Lodge and Roraima Residence Inn.
