The Department of Tourism officially launched the 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-level Authorities of Tourism, on Thursday at the Umana Yana, Georgetown, the Department of Public Information (DPI) has reported.
Ministers from 34 countries that are part of the Organisation of American States (OAS) are expected to participate in the event which is slated for March 21-22, 2018 at the Marriott Hotel, under the theme “Connecting the Americas through Sustainable Tourism.”
Speaking at the launch, Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin noted the importance of hosting the event, especially as it will contribute to Guyana’s economy in a number of ways.
“It’s an opportunity for us to demonstrate our capacity to host high-level events…but more importantly, it allows us to raise our profile and showcase Guyana to the rest of the region; we have a lot to showcase,” Minister Gaskin said.
The Minister added, “It is important for Guyana in many ways. As far as tourism is concerned, Guyana is a fairly young destination…I think hosting this event gives us a place at the table where tourism is concerned.”
According to DPI, National Coordinator for the event, Donald Sinclair explained that the conference will entail discussions such as “tourism in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, the importance of product innovation in the connected Americas, Multi-destination travel as a strategy for connecting the Americas and building resilience in the tourism sector” among others.
Sinclair explained a special session will be devoted to Guyana to address tourism in a green economy. This, he believes, will serve as an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to sell and market products within Guyana. “These conferences serve as a platform for countries to project themselves, to tell the other guests what they have in terms of tourism and culture.”
There will be several cultural presentations, tourism booths, replicas of indigenous benabs and also vending of local craft, DPI said.
