For the second year in a row, global travel magazine ‘Condé Nast Traveler’ has listed Guyana as one of its top 20 destinations to visit in 2021.
Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Carla James-Chandra – Photo Credit: (DPI)
Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Carla James, says the feature is due to the Authority’s marketing efforts internationally, which has continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guyana is listed at Number 17 in the magazine’s “Best Holiday Destinations for 2021.
“We are responsible for that. We have been working with market representatives, so they constantly engage Travel magazines … to ensure that Guyana [is at the top of] the line for travellers when it is permitted. So we are very pleased that they were able to secure that.”
Other countries that made the list include Greece, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Finland, Australia, among others, and the continent of South Africa.
Only last year, Guyana made the Condé Nast list of “20 Best Places to go in 2020”. This year, the country is featured under the heading, “Guyana-Paving the way for Indigenous-led Conservation,” and is described as “an invigorating place to explore.”
Guyana’s “cinematic” waterfalls and eco-lodges were also listed among some of the main attractions that should bring tourists to our shores.
The magazine also noted that the country’s diverse population and the plethora of natural bounty, observing that “Guyana’s crowning glory is its focus on Indigenous-led conservation,” which puts the power back into the hands of its first peoples.” The Makushi-led eco-tourism effort in Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo (Region Nine) was also recognised.
“Many have created eco-lodges of their own, where you can listen out for the sound of monkeys as you bed down at night, and from which expert local guides offer explorations of the surrounding Amazon rainforest, in search of giant anteaters, river otters, monkey-eating harpy eagles and jaguars,” the magazine stated.
Guyana’s tourism product, which is mostly dependent on international visitations, has been severely impacted by the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic illness has resulted in international travel bans, bringing the sector to a grinding halt.
In response, key stakeholders in the sector have collaborated to form a Tourism Recovery Action Committee (TRAC) to address the pandemic’s impact on the sector.
The Committee comprises representatives from the Department of Tourism, the GTA, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), and the Small Business Bureau. The GTA Director had indicated that the GTA’s focus was on improving the quality of services offered to rebound stronger.
[Extracted and Modified from DPI]
