Diaspora Unit to work with tourism bodies on attracting visitors

Some of the attendees at the meeting (Ministry of Foreign Affairs photo)
Some of the attendees at the meeting (Ministry of Foreign Affairs photo)

The importance of staff in Guyana’s overseas missions being knowledgeable of the tourism product here is one the areas that the Diaspora Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be collaborating on with THAG and the GTA.

On Tuesday, the Diaspora Unit met with the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) to discuss areas of co-operation.

In attendance were Head of the Diaspora Unit, Rosalinda Rasul; President of THAG,  Omadele George; Director of the GTA, Kamrul Baksh and other executives of THAG including  Salvador de Caires (Baganara), Carla Vantull (Wilderness Explorers), Abigail Ally (Bimichi Eco Lodge) and Oslyn Kirton (Executive Director of THAG).

A release from the Diaspora Unit said that the discussion focused on the different ways of enhancing the knowledge of Guyana’s overseas missions on tourism, promoting Guyana as a tourist destination to both the Diaspora and non-Diaspora, and sharing information on the country’s unique tourism product and offerings.

According to THAG’s executives, they recognized the pivotal role Guyana’s diplomatic missions play in representing Guyana on the global stage, therefore it is imperative that their staff possess a comprehensive understanding of Guyana’s tourism product.

The release said that the meeting aimed to establish a collaborative framework that will empower diplomatic missions to effectively promote Guyana as an appealing tourist destination.

Rasul outlined the different ways the Unit has been promoting tourism to the Diaspora and shared with them programmes to be undertaken in 2024 to further advance tourism. The stakeholders set out some tasks they can undertake almost immediately, the release added.