Natasha Smith-Thomas June 29, 2022
Guyana and Barbados are currently working out the modalities for the hospitality training of 6,000 Guyanese set to get underway in Barbados.
The governments of Guyana and Barbados agreed last year on the training of Guyanese in hospitality, to effectively prepare Guyana for the imminent boom in the tourism sector.
Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond.
Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond said she, along with Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, recently met with head of the training institute in Barbados.
His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said last year that Barbados has an established world-class hospitality programme which will be beneficial to Guyana. He said there is need for technical capacity and human resources to manage and work in the many hotels that will be established locally.
Providing further details on the programme, Minister Walrond said the training will be hybrid, fusing theory and practice.
“The theory part is going to be hybrid, and then when we are going to do the practical, that is when we are going to have more hands on, and face to face, and that is going to be what we have decided on,” Minister Walrond said.
“We have decided on a theory, we still have to work out the modalities of how we get the practical portion going, whether we have some of our students go to Barbados to complete, let’s say their certificate programme, whether it culminates with a practical programme at the end of it or whether we incorporate different modules of practical in the theory session…,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, Minister Walrond said the establishment of the local Hospitality Training Institute is progressing smoothly, as well as all areas of collaboration with Barbados in terms of airlift and joint marketing.
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Tourism ministry’s Snap & Share 56 competition winners awarded
Natasha Smith-Thomas June 29, 2022
Participants in the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce’s Snap and Share 56 Photography Competition were on Wednesday awarded prizes.
The photo competition is an annual feature that allows Guyanese to take pictures of tourism products and experiences in Guyana and submit them to the ministry.
After submission, the photos will be uploaded to social media where the public will have the opportunity to like and share. Winners were selected based on most likes and shares on the social media platforms.
The top five winners are Kishan Singh (5th), Kyle Joseph (4th) Govindra Raghubansi (3rd) Jermaine Messiah (2nd) and Shivanie Singh (1ST).
The first-place winner received $100,000 and a trip for two to Kaieteur from Evergreen tours while second place winner received $75,000 and a weekend with a Suzuki Jimny from Ansa Motors. The third place winner received $50,000, while the fourth place copped $25,000.
Other winners received cash prizes of $10,000, along with trips and meals compliments of businesses like Evergreen Adventures, The Marriott hotel, Cara Lodge, Old Fort Tours, and Odyssey Tours.
Minister, Oneidge Walrond thanked participants for sharing the pictures, and noted the many aspects of Guyanese life persons could relate to.
“With this snap and share, it is our opportunity at the ministry, and with our Guyanese to really share our beautiful country and the fact that we really do have so much more in common than we do different,” Minister Walrond said.
She also thanked the private sector for its support of the initiative in sponsoring some of the prizes for the competition.
“Tourism is one of the strategic sectors that government is focusing on,” Minister Walrond said.
She noted that government has placed a lot of resources in developing tourism because of the potential that it has.
“We believe not only in tourism as a way to market Guyana, but also as a way to drive economic activity for every single region, and every single community.”
The minister noted too, that a lot of communities will benefit from tourism as there is focus on community – led and driven tourism.
Communications Officer Cordell McClure, said compared to last year when there were approximately 250 entries, this year entries multiplied by some 300 percent.
Several of the winners spoke with DPI. Third place winner, Govindra Raghubansi said he is happy that his photo received positive feedback, especially from members of the diaspora.
His photographs show fish for sale at the Meadowbrook Wharf.
“It goes to show that you don’t necessarily need the most expensive equipment, or to go on adventure to place high, you just need a good photo that people can relate to, that is also of high quality. So, I encourage everyone to just give it a try, take your photos and keep them for the next competition,” he urged future participants.
Shunza Samuels-Messiah who placed sixth, said she believes the competition gives potential visitors an idea of where they can go when they visit here.
“I think that the competition gives persons an opportunity to see what we have to offer, to see the areas that we have to give beautiful unique Guyana, so yea I think it helps us in some ways to market and promote destination Guyana.”
Special Feature.
Additional 4 Tourism businesses receive conditional approval for reopening
– Caiman House, Cara Lodge Hotel, Guyana Truly Wild, Pandama Retreat and Winery Resort are ready to safely welcome guests
The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is happy to announce that 4 tourism businesses have so far, for the month of February been granted their conditional approvals for reopening. Caiman House, Cara Lodge Hotel, Guyana Truly Wild and Pandama Retreat & Winery Resort can now commence welcoming travellers and guests to their properties based on the guidelines tied to the National COVID-19 measures and GTA’s recommended Hygiene and Sanitation protocols.
It is imperative that those businesses which have since received their conditional approvals be reminded to maintain the protocols as outlined by the Guyana Tourism Authority and the National COVID-19 measures. Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in the revocation of approvals.
Domestic and international travellers are urged to use only those GTA-approved tourism businesses to ensure that themselves and their peers’ safety are prioritised while enjoying amazing tour activities in a safe, controlled setting. A list of the tourism businesses (tourism accommodation establishments, interior lodges and resorts, and tour companies) that have received conditional approval can be found on the GTA’s Facebook profile under the albums titled “Safe for Travel” and “Safe for Indoor Dining”.
Director of the GTA, Carla James expressed that “the tourism businesses are doing their part to keep travellers, their team and community safe. The resilience and camaraderie witnessed over the past few months to combat the ongoing effects of COVID-19 and reopen the sector in a safe way has been remarkable. While it is not quite over, we are confident that as long as we continue along the path that we are on, the recovery of our sector will be strong.”
The 2-step process for tourism businesses to reopen as directed by the GTA and the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) remains the same:
● Submission of Business’s written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to the GTA for a desk review.
● On-site inspection of Businesses to verify the implementation of the SOPs and approval by the GTA.
Reopening of Restaurants and Bars
As per the COVID-19 National Safety Measures dated January 31, 2021, restaurants and bars are allowed to reopen at 40% capacity.
Pre-approval to reopen is not required, however restaurants and bars must comply with the COVID-19 Safety Measures and the guidelines that have been set up for the safe operations of their business. To hold restaurants and bars accountable and keep the dining public safe, the GTA in collaboration with the Mayor & City Council, Ministry of Health and the National COVID-19 Task Force through its monitoring system will continue to request standard operating procedures (SOPs) from businesses and conduct unannounced
by Staff Reporter February 12, 2021
