By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – One airline is reporting that close to 60 foreign nationals from different countries have been denied entry into Guyana in recent months.
This was revealed at an Insel Air press conference on Friday, where local representative Captain Gerry Gouveia lamented the ineffectiveness of the current immigration system at the Chieddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Gouveia told media operatives with the advent of new airlines covering new air routes to and from Guyana has led to a change in passengers arrival profile. This development, he claims, has not been met satisfactorily by the Immigration Department.
“Our own immigration needs to ramp up their methodologies of dealing with the new immigration dispensation in Guyana,” said Gouveia.
Insel Air has been expanding its network and routes which has led an influx of persons from different countries.
He said that one of the ways the government could work to avert the denial of entry by persons is by making its immigration policies pellucid and available to the entire airlines network.
“They should set our clear guidelines. If you are going to issue visas on arrival then you need to have very clear guidelines…so that agents across the world clearly understand what the criteria is so that people do not meet here and find out that they do not meet the criteria,” he stated.
While Guyana is pushing to developing the tourism sector; Gouveia stated the country needs to adopt a welcoming posture and image to the world. He says as it stands this is not the case.
“We need to be very clear about what those guidelines are…We are anxiously awaiting those guidelines so we can distribute it into our networks,” he emphasized.
What I read in the comments are opinions of what may have happened. This article is not complete. We do not have the information about the travelers who were denied entry and the reasons for denial. There is no information whatsoever if they are tourists or refugees. What I do know is that the information about entering Guyana when you were not born in Guyana is on the Consulate website. So most of the comments do not have a proper response.
No country in the world u enter on a one way ticket this country have had too much of lawness these airline only studying money barbados is more advance when of comes to tourism an they turn u back this government is putting the right system in place eg u going to a country no showmoney no hotel money u en know anybody Guyana was a free for all time to stop it
Good going Guyana. That’s how you trying to invite tourist in your country, come on guys running a country is not the same way you play with a Barbie doll house.
Captain this is your Comrades in arms from the Army…. this is just another way to close down competitors flying the GEO route to make room for a local carrier in a plan hatched by the folks you hosted May month… why complain ? go with the flow
I agree with you Gouveia. While you want to screen people coming into the country carefully; you don’t want to send a signal that you are also turning people away who may just want to visit the country. In this era of open tourism and the invitation to return to Guyana, you have to set up a workable entry system for the diaspora, foreigners and visitors. People need clear and unambiguous guidelines on visas, length of stay, and what they need to declare. Many of these processes can be done before hand online so that the system does not get backed up with long paper trails and unnecessary wait time for the traveler. In order for Guyana to move up to the 21st century of doing things, efficiency has to be stepped up.
Nothing is straightforward at CJIA. The immigration personnel needs more training in people skills and there are still very long queues. I was there last year and saw five Venezuelans being attened to by four immigration officers all at the same time. I could not see the logic in it. While the others diddle daddle and take their own time. There wasn’t even a smile on their faces. They are not welcoming.
My British born husband found the entire system appalling and of couse I can’t blame him.