Guyana Invited to become a member of UNWTO

Minister Ali greeted by UNWTO Secretary General at the World Tourism Organisation at WTO Head OfficeGeorgetown: Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Irfaan Ali is currently in Spain seeking support for the further development of Guyana’s tourism product.

Minister Ali delivered a presentation on investment opportunities and highlighted ways in which Guyana, through collaboration, could reach into non-traditional tourism markets.

He noted that the arrival of COPA in Guyana brings the possibility of reaching the exciting markets of Latin America and South America, much closer.

Ali also addressed the issue of climate change and pointed to the devastating effects it can have on the economies and people of small island developing states.

In this regard, he called on the Secretary General to use UNWTO Taleb Rifai to push the developing world to understand the serious consequences climate change can have on the tourism sector and to become an active voice for small island developing states.

During his visit to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) the Minister was invited to have Guyana become a member of the UNWTO an arm of the UN.

Meanwhile, the UNWTO’s Secretary General, emphasized the important role tourism is playing globally, with the sector contributing 9% to global GDP.