Tourism stakeholders press new Minister on high travel costs, inaccessible attractions and poor facilities

Hoteliers and tour operators on Monday met with the newly appointed Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Susan Rodrigues, raising long-standing concerns about access to attractions, rising transportation costs and inadequate facilities.

It was only Minister Rodrigues’ second public engagement since assuming her new portfolio, but industry players seized the opportunity to highlight persistent challenges during discussions at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

Jessica John of Singing Chef Adventures said visitors are often left disappointed when they cannot access some of Guyana’s most iconic landmarks. She pointed to the inaccessibility of the St. George’s Cathedral and the absence of organised rum tours, despite Guyana being a leading rum producer.

“I’ve tried repeatedly to book a rum tour with El Dorado, yet I have not been successful,” John explained, adding that access to the recently refurbished Georgetown Lighthouse also remains restricted. “Apparently, to go in there, we have to have a letter for maritime.”

Minister Rodrigues acknowledged the complaints, stressing that public facilities must remain open and available.
“We’ve made it clear that no government agency, ministry or public office is to be closed for lunch. If some people did not get the memo, it will have to be resent,” she said.

Travel accessibility was another key concern. Region Eight tour operator, Louana Augustus, noted that frequent airfare hikes make it difficult to plan affordable packages.
“With the constant flight price hikes that we’ve been experiencing with little or no notice, that has been something we’ve been trying to work around,” Augustus said. She also suggested that Guyana explore a train system to improve connectivity to remote areas.

Minister Rodrigues conceded that airfare availability and costs remain pressing issues.
“Here again is a unique opportunity for investors to make sure we have more seats available, not only for international travel, but especially for local travel,” she said.

She added that although government removed VAT from hinterland travel, the intended benefit was not passed on to communities, a situation the administration is “not pleased” about. New road links are also being developed to connect Regions Eight and Nine, she noted.

Tourism operators further raised the absence of basic amenities such as washrooms at key tourist sites, saying this continues to frustrate visitors. Infrastructure, they stressed, remains a major obstacle to the sector’s growth.

In response, Minister Rodrigues assured the stakeholders that the government is committed to addressing these issues through targeted investments to develop and modernise the tourism sector.