President Dr Irfaan Ali has revealed that Guyana will be receiving help from Costa Rica to develop its eco-tourism industry. It is fitting, since according to the President, Guyana is modelling its eco-tourism industry after the Central American country.
The President had travelled to Costa Rica to receive the prestigious Inter-American Institute for Agricultural Cooperation (IICA) award for his remarkable leadership in Food Security and Sustainable Development.
Afterwards, he held a joint press conference with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles to provide updates following bilateral discussions. According to President Ali, Guyana will be working closely with Costa Rica not only in eco-tourism but also to develop a common strategy ahead of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).
“In positioning Guyana as a major destination for eco-tourism, we’ve identified Costa Rica as our model. And we’re embarking on a programme to work closely with the Government of Costa Rica in helping us to develop our eco-tourism product in Guyana,” President Ali said.
“We’re also working, I’ve expressed an interest with His Excellency, in collaborating at COP28 on issues of the forest, environment, climate and for us to work closely together to ensure the energy and food security of the Region.”
President Ali further congratulated his Costa Rican counterpart on the progress being made in the Spanish-speaking country when it comes to development. The President went on to lay out some of the critical development issues Guyana is focusing on.
“Renewables, diversification of the energy mix and food security. These are areas that are critical for my Government. We are building an economy for 2030 and beyond, in which we want to present Guyana as a global leader in energy, food, and climate security.”
“More importantly, our forests, the size of England and Scotland combined, with the lowest deforestation rate in the world, storing 19.5 gigatons of carbon, positions us to be an exceptional eco-tourism destination,” President Ali said.
In April, Guyana had signed an agreement with Costa Rica for further partnerships between the two countries in the areas of tourism, exploration of investment opportunities, and exchanging of knowledge and technical support – continuing a trend of Guyana building its tourism product through collaboration.
The Letter of Intent and Collaboration was signed by Tourism, Industry, and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, and the Costa Rican Minister of Tourism, William Rodriguez Lopez, at the latter Minister’s office at the Costa Rican Tourism Board Building in San Jose.
