Guyana’s tourism product, the Eco-Tour has also been called the Amazon Adventure among local tourism officials and there often appears a reluctance to concede that tourism, as a major money-earner, is yet to catch on in Guyana. Small pockets of mostly intrepid backpackers may possess a romantic attachment to the Amazon Adventure and there will always be a limited but constant stream of takers for Guyana’s Kaieteur Falls, internationally renowned for its ownership of the longest sheer drop of any waterfall anywhere in the world. Regional tourism statistics suggest, however, that the preference among the travellers, the big spenders from the metropolis is still for the sun, sand and sea of the traditional tourist locations of the Caribbean.
Statistics provided by the Guyana Tourism Authority tell a story of slow, frequently halting progress in the growth of the tourism sector. Tourist arrivals in 2006, according to the authority, reached 113,474 and 129,595 in 2008. Last year visitor arrivals recorded a further increase, growing to 151,926. An overall increase in visitor arrivals of 37,452, over a four-year period is clearly nothing to shout about. Up to September, visitor arrivals for 2011 totalled 115,461. The months of April, July and December are customarily the busiest months of the year for the local tourism industry.
Even these numbers, however, might paint a misleading picture. Most of the ‘visitors’ are returning Guyanese. Christmas, the tour operators say, has always been a busy period. This year, however, there are general elections preceding the Christmas holidays and there are signs that potential holiday-makers are waiting for that event to pass.
Wonderland Tours proprietor Alisha Ousman has earned a reputation for being one of the most energetic people in the business. “This year,” she says, “has been the best year for Wonderland Tours since I returned to Guyana 7 years ago.” She believes that marketing has been the key to her success. Her advertising in local and international publications and foreign websites, which during 2011 alone, totalled more than $3 million, has paid dividends. To sell Wonderland Tours Alisha markets Guyana worldwide: in the ASTA Worldwide Destination Guide distributed in the USA, and in ABTA, a printed tour destination guide distributed in Britain, France, Germany and other European countries. Wonderland advertisements also appear frequently in Caribbean tourism publications. Alisha continues to spend on links on foreign websites, in local newspapers and has updated the Wonderland Tours website to make it easier for visitors and browsers to make contact and book tours. Wonderland’s brochures are also displayed in travel agencies in New York, Atlanta, Toronto, Florida, London and its environs, in Germany and Switzerland, according to Alisha, “anywhere there is a sizeable Guyanese community”.
The accomplishments of Wonderland Tours would appear to vindicate the widely-held view that far too little continues to be spent on marketing Guyana abroad and that the government here needs to examine the marketing pursuits of other countries in the region where tourism contributes much more to the national coffers.
Wonderland Tours’ accomplishments this year, Alisha says, have been due in some measure to the popularization of the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy. She says that people living in Alaska, Greenland and the Far East have now become curious about Guyana, attracted, it seems, to pictures of its pristine forests and abundant waterfalls. Alisha has spent several hours online chatting with people who were learning about the existence of Guyana for the first time.
Wonderland Tours retains its own important statistics. Thirty-five per cent of its customers are vacationing Guyanese; 20 per cent, foreigners and 5 per cent business travellers. This year, Wonderland Tours hosted more than 40 Trinidadians, visitors to Guyana “out of curiosity.” The reaction of the Trinidadians, Alisha says, was that “they had no idea that this country was so beautiful. Some said that most Trinidadians were focused northward so they knew little or nothing about South America. The previous perceptions they had of Guyana was of a backwater country that was badly in need of infrastructural and social development.” Alisha recalls the expressions of surprise on their faces after they had completed the local tour.
It has not, however, been all roses for Wonderland Tours. It has experienced some hard times and acrimonious relationships especially with the oversight organization, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG). A falling out between the two has led to Wonderland’s expulsion from THAG. Wonderland has moved to the courts to have the expulsion overturned.
At the beginning of this year Alisha developed a new focus underpinned by a greater attention to customer service. In the past she has had unpalatable experiences associated with miscommunication about aircraft schedules, late arrival of food and inept tour guides. Wonderland Tours’ current focus is on running a hands-on service. Alisha, along with her spouse Mario Figuera, conducts tours herself. They maintain a “no cancellation” policy even if that means incurring losses.
Alisha says that “promoting tourism in Guyana as a viable revenue earner is too important, not only for the people who depend on tour operations for their livelihood, but also to improve Guyana’s reputation for being a kind, hospitable people.” Her mission is to give the best experience to visitors and in the process to help to market Guyana as a tourist destination.
Wonderland’s new itinerary now includes culinary tours that introduce visitors to local cuisine during night-time sight-seeing tours. There are also a fishing tours to places where ‘sweet water’ aqua life abounds.
Wonderland Tours’ day and overnight tours to the Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls have been improv-ed with more sights added. The same has been done to the Essequibo/Mazaruni River tour, the trips to Baracara Falls and Island, to Bartica, Santa Mission, the Arrowpoint resort and other remote places that allow visitors to experience as much of Guyana’s hinterland and local cultures as possible.
Richard Ousman’s legacy
Alisha is preoccupied with keeping her father’s legacy alive. The late Richard Ousman is widely believed to have been one of the pioneers of the contemporary tourism sector. His story began in the early 1980s when a friend took him to Santa Mission, an Amerindian village on the Kamuni River. Thereafter, his passion grew into a business idea. Richard began his operations with the Santa Mission tour. He added tours of the Essequibo then trips to the Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls. The Georgetown City tour was added later. Ousman established the Harpy Eagle Jungle Lodge on a small island on the Mazaruni River and was a founding member of THAG. In 2007, he died at the age of 47.
After Richard’s death Alisha assumed control of Wonderland Tours. She moved to the current location at Quamina and Carmichael streets opposite Bishop’s High School and set about reorganizing the business. New destinations were introduced including the Iwokrama Canopy Walk, a trip to the border town of Lethem and the culinary night outings in the city.
Alisha served as a promoter in New York and this, she says, has improved her creativity. Having re-migrated following her father’s death she has had to both grow accustomed to Guyana again as well as formulate for providing services to visitors to Guyana.
Alisha says that the challenges of providing a tourism product grow greater. Tourist expectations are higher. This, she says, has compelled her to seek to understand more about good customer relations. “When my visitors leave happy, my income increases, not always immediately but in the longer term,” she says.
