The killing of 23 persons at Lusignan and Bartica have put a damper on tourism, with hotels and resorts seeing cancellations, Chairperson of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) Renata Chuck-a-Sang has said.
Since the horrifying incidents, travel advisories have been issued by America, Britain and Canada.
The US advisory on the local embassy’s website that was updated after the Bartica killings warned, “Due to recent actions by armed criminal elements, including the murder of three Guyanese policemen and the random killing of nine civilians in Bartica on February 17, US citizens are encouraged to maintain a high state of vigilance, consider security issues when planning activities throughout Guyana, and to minimize movement when possible while avoiding large crowds.”
Canada urged its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution and the Commonwealth Office advised “against all but essential travel to the East Coast, Bartica and the tourist resorts along the Essequibo. Since January 2008, there has been an upsurge in violent criminal activity in these areas while crime levels are also high in Georgetown and towns in the coastal regions. You should therefore exercise extreme caution in Georgetown.”
Speaking with Stabroek News about the impacts the incidents had on tourism, Chuck-a-Sang said that several members of the association, including tour operators and resorts, had reported cancellations of bookings. She noted that such events will have a negative effect not only on the tourism industry but other sectors as well with reasons being that no one knows why the killings have occurred, the motives are not known and no one knows when it will happen again.
“It’s that uncertainty that’s driving fear into people,” she stated noting that if tourists were uncertain about their safety then they will not travel. Chuck-a-Sang declared that the current trend was worrying and pointed to the fact that before, most crimes occurred within the city and interior areas were considered safe but “the incident at Bartica has changed all that.”
The THAG chairperson noted that Guyana was trying to cultivate a yachting industry and revealed that at the time of the Bartica incident, one yacht was present in the Essequibo River. She said its occupants watched as the bodies were being transferred by boat to the airstrip on Baganara Island. Further, she said, an international group was at that resort and saw the bodies, which, according to reports were not covered, being transferred to the plane at the airstrip. She said that while the group did not leave immediately, “it was not something that you wanted to see in Guyana.”
On the travel advisories, she said that those tend to have a negative effect as persons travelling to another country would do some research and if such warnings were issued by a reputable agency then the person would fear for their safety and not travel.
“Our tourism industry is not a booming one,” she said adding, “we do not need any discouragement from any quarter.”
Given the current climate of fear in the country in addition to rumours sweeping the population, she said that Mashramani celebrations, which usually attract overseas-based Guyanese in their numbers, would likely be very-toned down.
She noted that the sector that was being negatively affected “across the board” with restaurants, hotels, bars and others not seeing the business they are accustomed to during this time. “We are hoping that no more bad things happen,” she said.
In the longer term, Chuck-a-Sang said that if similar incidents did not occur then “we have rebuilding to do”. She said that while the industry would likely recover over a period, it would have to do extra work also pointing to the fact that marketing the country internationally was very expensive. Noting that “tourism does not happen quickly”, she emphasized that some bookings from overseas were made two years in advance and incidents like these will see cancellations.
She said the industry would recover but “it takes time,” adding that THAG was looking to the government and Guyana Tourism Authority to assist with marketing.
Chuck-a-Sang expressed the hope that those efforts will kick in and the Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta), which will be held here in August, will not be affected.
Recently, before the Bartica slaughter, some operators in the sector had told this newspaper that concerns over security had seen rearranged flights and fewer hotel bookings.
