Georgetown: Guyana was well represented at the opening ceremony of the 14th Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC14), which took place on Monday evening, at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
The Guyanese representatives at STC 14 are Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh and GTA’s Marketing Officer, Ms. Nadine King, who both noted that the opening event was “one of the best STC opening ceremonies with fantastic cultural and colorful performances …followed by a treat of Trinidadian cuisine.”
As part of the initial activities of the Conference, the Director and Ms. King attended and participated in the 22nd Ordinary meeting of the Sustainable Tourism Development Technical Committee, where the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO ) Sustainable Tourism Work Program for 2013 , among other key developments, were discussed.
Key among the issues discussed was Guyana’s proposal and offer of land for the establishment of a Caribbean Sustainable Development Institute which was made to the CTO at the Caribbean Week in New York, last June.
The committee welcomed the offer and opportunity and proposed that feasibility be conducted, while the concept, function, mandate, etc of the proposed Institute are being worked on.
According to Mr. Haralsingh, Guyana is the ideal place for such an institute as we have the potential to develop and promote agro tourism, we possess an excellent track record in employing best practices in sustainable development, we have solidified our position as leaders in climate change and standing forests advocacy, etc.
Over the years, the country has emerged as a leader in sustainable tourism and development, particularly with the adoption of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and the fact that sustainable development has been integrated into Guyana’s National Development Agenda.
Recognizing Guyana’s successes in promoting sustainable developments on all fronts, the CTO awarded Guyana three of the top tourism awards at the closing of the 13th Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC-13) which was held in Guyana last year.
As the hosts of the STC-13, the country grabbed the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award which went to the Rupununi Learners Society, Community Benefit Award which was won by Iwokrama and the Biodiversity Conservation Award which went to the Mangrove Restoration Project.
The CTO said that these TravelMole annual accolades are aimed at identifying and showcasing Sustainable Tourism Best Practices in the Caribbean.
Additionally, CTO is pushing to promote position and brand the Caribbean as a premier food tourism destination, for which a strategy is being prepared.
The GTA Director also pointed to the benefits of this, as Guyana is best known for its fresh, authentic, organic and wide variety of locally grown food and products.
“At STC 13 in Guyana, a workshop was held on food tourism…we are well poised to take advantage of this. This has tremendous potential in Guyana as one can have the best food, which is tasty, fresh, wholesome, local, and organic, with the lowest carbon footprint,” he explained.
This year, Guyana has submitted nominations for all categories in this year CTO / TRAVELMOLE Sustainable Tourism Awards , which is scheduled to be awarded on Thursday, 18th April, 2013; the country has been shortlisted as finalists in the five categories , which include Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism , Destination Stewardship , Sustainable Accommodation , Community Benefit , Heritage Protection and Biodiversity Conservation .
Additionally the GTA Director will make a special presentation on day two of the conference (Tuesday 16th) on Guyana- since STC13 and the strides the country has made to promote sustainable development over the past year.
The Caribbean Tourism Organization has been staging its Annual Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development, otherwise known as the Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC) since 1997. This is a Conference from which everyone involved in tourism and doing business in and with the Caribbean tourism industry can benefit.
You must be logged in to post a comment.