GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- As fans across the cricketing world prepare to support their favourite teams and players, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce is putting forth greater efforts to ensure that all necessary protocol and regulatory systems are in place to facilitate an easy process, as the spotlight will be focused on the National Stadium, at Providence, East Bank Demerara, on Friday.

Present to welcome visitors, overseas-based Guyanese and foreigners and officials, among others, was Tourism Minister, Manniram Prashad, who said that “There are so many good things happening in Guyana, and as a result, we have repeat visitors. Years ago, people just came for Christmas or the August holidays. Now, some visitors who were in Guyana for the annual Mashramani celebration have returned for the cricket.”

 
The Minister made these comments in support of a collaborative effort by the Ministry of Tourism, the Guyana Tourism Authority, the management and staff of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and various members of the business community in Guyana, who provided sponsorship for the welcoming activity, for passengers arriving on two Caribbean Airlines flights, from Toronto and New York.

Ministry staff and representatives of various corporate sponsors welcomed persons with rum-punch and snacks, while cellular phone credit, cricket balls, flags of Guyana and company brand give-aways were distributed as passengers listened to the sounds of live Tassa and African drumming.

The Minister noted that Guyana has one of the best cricket venues in the Caribbean, which has become very famous, is one of the reasons why the Ministry is expecting a huge influx of visitors coming to Guyana for the Championship.

With reports showing that all hotels are booked, the Ministry and the Guyana Tourism Authority are organizing bed and breakfast services, to assist in placing persons who are unable to find accommodation. For this purpose, the Ministry will be establishing a hotline so that all persons experiencing problems in this regard can call for assistance.

Minister Prashad emphasized that “As a result of the overwhelming support of tourists coming at this time, because the response is so much, we now have to put all of these extra measures in place to make sure that visitors in Guyana are assisted as much as possible.”

Empirical evidence compiled by the Ministry has shown that from January to March, a period encompassing New Year, Republic Day, Phagwah and Easter festivities, Guyana experienced a 9 percent increase in arrivals over 2009. Based on this information, the Minister stated that “We expect this April to be the biggest month ever in the history of arrivals in Guyana, so the expectation is that thousands will arrive in the country at this time.”

With the future diversification of the economy, and a move towards manufacturing, industrial operations and the provision of services, the promotion of tourism has been a front burner agenda of the Administration, with resources being channelled into ensuring that visitors to Guyana are afforded high quality treatment, service and standards, from the airport to the hotel.

The Ministry of Tourism has been conducting training sessions and seminars to support airport staff, frontline management, desk-clerks, receptionists and taxi-drivers, among other categories of persons within the hospitality industry.

He added that “We want to ensure that when people come to Guyana, they get a good impression of our beautiful country and that is why we have to now improve our quality. We also solicited help from overseas to a get a trainer to train the staff in the proper strategies to effectively manage their facilities. That’s what tourism is all about standards and service.”