The Tourism Recovery Action Committee (TRAC) has begun formal operations. This Committee was established for the purpose of implementing strategies for the recovery of the Tourism industry that has been devastated by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
COVID-19 has hit the tourism sector in Guyana very hard. Most hotels, resorts and lodges have been at zero or near zero occupancy for a number of months. Tour operators, tour guides, tourism providers and a whole range of support staff, along the tourism supply chain are either out of work, or working on a vastly reduced schedule.
“Thousands of workers in hotels, guest houses, restaurants and in the transportation sector now find themselves without income. This downturn in business is also resulting in a sharp decline in the contribution of tourism to the local economy,” the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Business said.
Recognising the current critical state of the industry, the Action Committee viewed as priority the pulling together of the right agencies to serve the entity. In this regard, representatives from the Tourism (public and private sector), Health, Civil Aviation, Communities, Foreign Affairs, Public Telecommunications, Indigenous Peoples, Ports & Frontiers, Small Business and Communications entities were invited to name Focal Points who had the required expertise to serve the TRAC in its effort to define a Tourism Recovery strategy.
In the 3 weeks since its formation, TRAC said that it has clearly defined a structure that is configured for the widest possible consultation and feedback. A Core Committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Business, the Guyana Tourism Authority and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana links with a wider, multi-agency grouping that consults and engages with both specialists and stakeholders on the ground. Each of these agencies has an agreed mission within the scope of TRAC and is mandated to prepare some very specific inputs which will be part of the overall recovery strategy.
TRAC expects to receive these specialist inputs by the second week of July. Shortly after, these agencies’ inputs will be subjected to focused stakeholder
consultations in order to put together and craft a stakeholder-blessed tourism recovery strategy.
TRAC hopes to deliver, within a matter of weeks, a sustainable Guyana Tourism Recovery Action Plan that is tailored to suit the needs of the local tourism sector and is aligned with the agreed, strategic national tourism objectives. This Plan will seek to position the industry to maximise the competitive advantages Guyana possesses as it markets itself in a post-COVID travel environment that brings new sensitivities and priorities.
