Visit Guyana

Culture Box

As Guyana warms into the technological and digital age, more and more Guyanese are logging into and being part of the infinite world of possibilities – the internet.

20130316boxOver the past week I have been finding more and more ways how Guyanese can interact by using the web, Facebook is the leading site in social networking but there is a particular page that inspires me to just… get out and explore.

The page? Visit Guyana which you can find on: www.facebook.com/gotoguyana

Now everybody should know by now that I am a huge fan of discovering Guyana’s treasures. Ever since I left high school I have been finding new and fascinating ways of exploring Guyana and its people. And because I have this undying love for my country, there is no other page that makes me want to go out there than Visit Guyana. It opens a whole new idea of Guyana – a more serene wonder, which it is, but which many of us forget because of the daily struggles of life.

Visit Guyana is a popular tourism page that claims to be the ‘Official, Unofficial Tourism Page about Guyana’. If you ask me it is doing a way better job than the Guyana Tourism Authority’s Facebook page with only 4,656 ‘Friends’ when compared to Visit Guyana’s 12,662 ‘Likes.’

Visit Guyana not only targets foreign prospective travellers but it is very popular with both the diaspora and nationals residing in Guyana as well, mainly because the page highlights a lot of fascinating history, beautiful scenery and advertises tourism packages and specials.

Whoever manages the page remains anonymous but from all perspectives is doing a superb job! If I can rank the Guyanese pages online, Visit Guyana would take Number One.

It was Visit Guyana that inspired me to start Culture Box’s Year of the Jaguar initiative. Am I the only one with that sudden rebirth, that verve to experience my country? Is it weird?

It would be great if the manager/s of the page made a website. Guyana needs to be a tourism brand.

I have always said that when it comes to tourism in the Caribbean, Guyana should take the credit. All the islands, every single one of them has similar beaches, scenery, history and the exact same sun! But in Guyana we have the best of both worlds and even more: rainforests, canopy walkway, new and rare species of flora and fauna, a diversity of people, rich heritage and culture both Caribbean and South American; we should be considered ‘the bridge between the Caribbean and South America’.

Guyana is a country that opens her arms to the world, and it really is nice when the average Guyanese can showcase what his/her country has to offer. It really is inspiring for a young writer like me to look out his window and be tempted to run outside, when he has the world at his fingertips and a country full of stories.

I encourage every Guyanese to log onto the page; you will see something to be proud of when you talk about your country. And when you truly light up with pride, I bet – just like me – you would want to just go out there, and Visit Guyana for yourself. (Jairo Rodrigues)