[www.inewsguyana.com] – President Donald Ramotar told a room full of local Journalists on Friday that the local tourism sector has “picked up”; adding that there have been increases in arrivals during the first six months of 2014.
The Head of State did not provide any figures but says he is particularly excited with the flights arriving from neighboring Brazil packed weekly.
He recognized too the connection and new routes COPA Airlines has given Guyanese which he said has contributed in a big way to increased visitor arrivals.
Ramotar said the construction of new hotels and resort is also testimony to the growing influx of visitors.
Meanwhile, the Caribbean recorded a rise in visitor arrivals during the first half of this year, keeping pace with the world average, according to figures released by the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).
It said the region enjoyed a 4.3 per cent increase during the first six months of the 2014, much in line with the world average of 4.7 per cent.
CTO director of research and information technology, Winfield Griffith, speaking on the CTO’s television programme, “Destination Caribbean” aired on CARIBVISION on Thursday night, said that just under 14 million long-stay tourists visited the Caribbean between January and June, with nearly half this number ( 6.87 million) coming from the United States.
He said compared to the same period last year when 6.61 million American visitors arrived in the Caribbean, the 2014 figure represents a 3.9 per cent rise in arrivals from the US market.
“There is enough evidence to suggest that there is growing economic confidence in the region’s biggest neighbour and this is releasing much pent-up travel demand caused by a long recessionary period”. Griffith said.
It’s great to have more visitors, yet not all is in place. For example, a customs form in duplicate and immigration form is given to be filled out. When you arrive,mr here is no need for the immigration form. Then why is it given? There are a lot of Spanish speakers on the Copa flights , why isn’t the customs form is Spanish also, many people were struggling to fill it out.
An immigration officers need to be more pleasant. There faces are tired , they look lazy , and not a smile, very bad first experience. baggage handling is another hassle. I didn’t receive my bag, waited 15 mins before a young lady came , who could barely read and write it appears, as she had difficulty filling out the prerequisite form .
Seems the heat has been having greater impacts on the guyanese population that we thought .