In the Cayman Islands, where I once lived, a part of the culture there, as in Guyana where I grew up, is a toy called ‘gigs’ (our word for it is ‘tops’). Once very popular with young boys, gigs faded away as tourism development came to the Cayman Islands in the 1960s, so that by the time I was there it had virtually disappeared from the country. But then, a few years ago, one of the older heads, a serious gigs man in his youth, began appearing in public spinning his beautifully made toys, and in short order Mr Duncan and his gigs had been added to the Department of Tourism list of things that visitors would encounter on their holiday.
As Guyana embarks on its own specific tourism path, that Cayman tidbit serves to illustrate the reality that every successful tourism operator knows: a thriving tourism attraction is actually a package made up a number of things almost all of which are technically outside the ambit of the operator but all of which are critical for that business to prosper. Consider, for example, that significant visitor numbers are generated in a destination only when it enjoys sustained and affordable airlift; a range of good restaurants and stores; a clean environment with efficient utilities offering clean water and effective sanitation; electricity and modern electronic communication; absence of crime or unrest in the society; a variety of good original entertainment, and attractive shopping. All of those factors are in play in every location where tourism is working. Notice that all of the items contained in that list are missing or deficient in Guyana, and, in particular, that all of them relate to aspects of the society over which the tourism operator has no control but which directly affect his/her involvement in the economy. It makes for perilous business indeed.
The background here is that the relatively quick rise of the tourism industry in the Caribbean is a direct consequence of government and private sector investors, recognizing these factors at play, and combining to stimulate, or sometimes create them as essential parts of the successful tourism package. Early on, many of the islands eagerly granted taxation relief for tourism plant investors; many, with large hotels nearing completion, were offering substantial financial inducements to
