Having recorded a number of ‘false starts’ and even, at times, questioned the ‘ideological compatibility’ of a tourism industry with the country’s ‘ideological outlook’, Guyana would appear to have now fully embraced the reality that the various socio-political changes that the country has undergone over the years has now readied it for serious investment in tourism, a sector that has made its mark in most of the rest of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). In his Monday, January 15, reading of the country’s trillion dollar budget, Senior Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, unveiled the government’s plans for what he says “will be a historic year in relation to developments in the tourism sector.” The Finance Minister’s disclosure comes on the back of what, in recent years, has been an aggressive initiative on the part of the state-run Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) to infuse the notion of a fully-fledged tourism industry into the psyche of a society which, at one stage, previously, had been ‘indoctrinated’ in to accepting that there was a nexus between tourism and servility.
Then, in ‘political times’ past, when the idea of a tourism industry was being ‘sold’, an appendage that did no more than allow visitors from mostly Europe and North America to enjoy an outdoor of sun, sand, sea and wildlife option whilst the ‘natives’ waited, hand and foot, on them. Those notions would now appear to have been interred beneath a belated recognition not just that our ideological interpretation of tourism had gotten it all wrong but, also, that there has always been an inconsistency between the country’s impressive array of visitor attractions and their money-earning potential, on the one hand, and its ‘ideological’ disposition to visitors to the country being waited on, ‘hand and foot,’ by locals, on the other. What has also now been acknowledged, is that a structured tourism industry also provides, in the era of the country’s oil-driven economy, tourism that opens up new and potentially lucrative opportunities for parts of the country that have long had to endure the ‘curse’ of underdevelopment and attendant limited opportunities for job-creation.
Unsurprisingly, the incumbent political administration would appear to have ‘jumped on’ the idea of a tourism sector at this time, driven by the realization that investment in the sector is now manifestly more affordable these days than had been the case just a handful of years ago. In his 2024 budget presentation in the National Assembly, Dr. Singh allowed himself a considerable measure of indulgence, asserting that the ‘late start’ upon which he suggested Guyana was about to embark was largely a function of the fact that “while Guyana enjoys a comparative advantage with a world class product,” that potential had been left unrealized “because of certain very specific constraints” which he said had now been “overcome.” Put differently, Dr. Singh is asserting that the tourism sector is now finally poised: 2024, he trumpeted, “will be a historic year in relation to developments in the tourism sector.” If it has to be said, there is no shortage of previous promised ‘takeoffs’ ‘opportunities’ in various sectors by political administrations in Guyana that have eventually ‘gone south.’
This time around, buttressed by the country’s oil wealth, there is a less generous margin for false promises than had previously been the case. While there are those who may support Dr. Singh’s assertion, for example, that “the cost of airlift into Guyana has historically been one of the key factors constraining the growth of the tourism sector,” others would contend to the contrary, proffering a perennially inhospitable political climate and drastically ‘run down’ infrastructure as the things that really keep visitors away. Periodic releases from the GTA alluding to infrastructure creation and/or rebuilding have been an encouraging development. History, however, instructs us that it is always wisest to adopt a ‘wait and see’ posture in relation to undertakings given at ‘political platforms.’ What, for example, would appear to be an impressive list of connectivity ‘upgrades’ articulated in Dr. Singh’s budget presentation, are subject to both the vagaries of the airline industry as well as Guyana’s ability, through its marketing acumen, to ‘bring in’ the visitors.
Evidence of increased “hotel room capacity” (a consideration outlined in the Finance Minister’s presentation) as a factor that seeks to lay a foundation for the building of a robust and welcoming tourism industry, is already evident in the appearance of a ‘brand new’ Pegasus and Marriott Hotels as well as an expansive (if, in some respects, decidedly disruptive) coastal urban transformation undertaking. Here, the point should be made that while Budget speeches are usually the ideal ‘showoff’ platforms on which to parade promises, we are going to have to wait and see whether the eye-catching addition of “1000 world class hotel rooms”, for example, will be added to the stock of visitor arrival inventory promised by year end, or whether some of the pronouncements made in the Budget presentation, earlier this month, were simply part of the usual package of ‘showoff’ declarations for which suitable excuses for failure to deliver will be trotted out at the appropriate time. Here, one might add too, that assertions by Dr. Singh that Guyana is “on the cusp of becoming a leading sustainable tourism destination” is sufficiently far-fetched, at this time, to be placed on that customary budget ‘wish list’ that unfailingly pops up in every budget presentation but, all too frequently, fails to materialize and are eventually set to one side.
At least, however, we appear to be on much more firm ground these days insofar as the development of a viable tourism industry is concerned. On the one hand, the country’s oil and gas economy has the capacity to offer a pleasing and profitable sector to the country’s economy. On the other, we are not, (at least so it seems), any longer fettered by the ideological gremlins of the past.
