Over the past two weeks, concerns over security have seen rearranged flights and reduced hotel bookings in the tourism sector, though there have been no major cancellations, insiders say.
On January 26, the nation was gripped by the murders of 11 persons, including five children, when gunmen targeted several homes in Lusignan on the East Coast Demerara.
Stabroek News spoke with four tourism service providers on the impact the incident has had on their operations, in the light of the worldwide coverage the murders have received.
Manager of Cara Lodge Shaun McGrath said there had been no major cancellations at the hotel, but there was a “reduction in bookings”. Cara Lodge and Cara Suites Hotel (Middle Street) are part of the chain of Cara Hotels in the Caribbean.
McGrath said persons in the region who have spoken to him have raised concerns about the incident. Travel advisories were issued by the ABC countries (America, Great Britain and Canada). As regards the upcoming Mashramani and Easter seasons he noted that not many visitors will book into hotels, since the bulk of them are overseas-based Guyanese who will vacation with family.
In terms of the impact the incident may have had on the rest of the tourism year McGrath said his outlook was, “cautious optimism.”
Marketing Manager at Wilderness Explorers Abdoul Ba told this newspaper that the agency “hasn’t really had cancellations,” but persons have called to raise “concerns.” The details of the concerns raised were not given, however. Ba said they “basically calmed them down,” speaking of those who had called. Most of those calling to share their concerns were from Canada, according to the manager, and none of them cancelled their bookings.
Yesterday, Wilderness was expecting a group of around 16 persons for a joint Guyana and Suriname tour and two sets of Trinidad and Tobago visitors completed tours to the interior the previous week.
Ba emphasized that these groups were transported from the airport to Baganara and spent no time in the city during their visit. This is not unusual for the tour agency since most of its tours are conducted this way, Ba said, with visitors preferring the interior locations to the coast.
Ba is looking forward to the Mash and Easter seasons since the agency is expecting an influx of domestic tourists.
As a result, there are specials for the Republic Day celebrations, on February 23. For example, there is a US$70/day special with Value Added Tax (VAT) inclusive for Mash Day. And for the Easter holidays there is a three-night special starting at US$350 per person, VAT inclusive.
In addition, there are also packages for two, four and six persons, which include transportation, accommodation and a visit to the Bartica Regatta on Easter weekend from March 22.
An official from Shanklands Rainforest Resort/Tours told this newspaper that Shanklands has also not seen a trend of bookings being cancelled. The official emphasized that bookings are mostly from overseas patrons that book through agencies a year in advance.
It was also noted that penalties are attached to cancellations. This resort has no Mash specials, but specials were likely for the long Easter holiday, according to the official. Manager of North American Airlines Junior Horatio told Stabroek News on Tuesday that after the incident, travellers based along the East Coast corridor took steps to rearrange their flights. Asked if there was a trend of flights being cancelled, Horatio said no.
Looking ahead, he remarked that bookings for Mash were picking up “slowly,” and Easter bookings were “coming along.” West Indies is set to play a Test match against Sri Lanka at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence during Easter and the airline manager is expecting additional traffic.
Mash loads in the past have been “good,” he said, but for Easter there is a “heavier concentration.” It was also emphasized that North American was operating to its full flight schedule.
