The Guyana Government has issued a tender inviting Expressions of Interests for the development of eco-lodges in the country, Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond has announced.
During the month of November, the Minister would have toured the country, visiting various tourist hotspots in every region. This exercise has helped in identifying gaps in the country’s tourism sector.
According to the Tourism Minister, one of the areas singled out to be addressed is the need for more modern eco-lodges.
“The eco-lodges, there is need for upgraded facilities, to have facilities that cater to different tastes, different needs, different budgets, depending on how much you would like to spend. What we found is that there has been a gap for luxury rooms. Some people just like to come with their hammocks and throw up and camp, and some people like air-conditioned experience,” the Tourism Minister explained during a recent interview with the media.
“So, we have invited people in the private sector to develop some of the different areas…it’s similar to the Expressions of Interest we did for the branded hotels, when we came into to government in 2020,” the Minister added.
Minister Oneidge emphasised that there is need for larger eco-resorts.
“We find that here in Guyana, we don’t have, as yet, a large resort that is eco-friendly, that is sustainable. Because, we don’t just want to put down a mass hotel or a mass development…that is why we termed it the ‘eco-lodge’ because there is requirement and stipulations that has to be put into when you’re building out an eco-lodge, so it remains sustainable, it remains beneficial to the environment and it doesn’t harm the environment, and it also takes into account the community that it is being built in, but still a lovely comfortable experience, that is what we are trying to offer because right we don’t have that.”
She added “that is what we do, our support here at the Ministry Tourism, Industry and Commerce is to come look at your facility, look at your project, look at the idea and say this is what we can do to make it better.”
Meanwhile, Director (ag) of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Kamrul Baksh indicated that there is already significant interest from private sector for the development of Fort Island.
“There are also other investors that have signaled interest in the development of Fort Island and that proposal, we will receive that proposal and we will review that proposal,” Baksh stated.
In fact, he encouraged more private sector to respond to the Expressions of Interest.
“I want to encourage everybody who has a proposal or an idea, put it together and submit through this EoI facility and we will definitely review that and once we review those proposals, we will obviously engage them for a signing of an MoU so that we can take them through the entire investment facilitation process,” the GTA Head said.
