Guyana will host four major events annually

Last Updated on Monday, 22 September 2025, 21:43 by Writer

Guyana will be hosting a major event every quarter, as government pushes ahead with plans to attract at least one million visitors annually by 2030, Minister of Tourism Susan Rodrigues said on Monday.

“We’re working to confirm that now and this will, of course, coincide with some of the events that you’re already familiar with,” she said. They would include Mashramani, Independence, Easter, Christmas among others.

Latest statistics, she said, show that there has been an 18 percent increase in visitor arrivals this year over the corresponding period in 2024. The Guyana government hopes that about three million people would “pass through” Guyana each year in another five years, with just about one-third being visitors. “Realistically, we believe that we can have at least one million visitors to our country on an annual basis during that same period by 2030,” she said.

She told tour operators at an engagement session held at the Arthur Chung Conference Center that the Guyana government would be exploring the possibility of having major entertainers who have consistently scheduled events on their calendar because the data shows that there is increased travel during those times. “It’s not just going to be driven by government…We’ve looked at the data and we’ve seen the increases in travel during those periods,” she said. In collaboration with the private sector, she said the Tourism Ministry would plan an event and an entire package around those periods of year when people travel to Guyana for leisure.

Minister Rodrigues said the tourism ministry and the Guyana Tourism Authority would be marketing those events and activities locally and internationally “especially to our Diaspora”. The government intends to request airlines to play videos and distribute printed materials aboard the aircraft.

Earlier on Monday, she met with hotel operators to explore ways of making accommodation more affordable especially for vacationing overseas-based Guyanese. She later told Demerara Waves Online News that hoteliers were asked to offer accommodation at a minimum of US$200 per night if their rates are already higher. She, however, cautioned against cheaper hotels jacking up their rates to US$200. “We want to make sure that acceptability and affordability is frontally in our minds as we plan to grow and develop the tourism sector,” she said.

Ms Rodrigues, who assumed this new ministerial portfolio following the September 1 general and regional elections, said her mandate includes ensuring that all hotels are fully occupied all year round.

The tourism minister also underscored the importance of tourism and hospitality providers abiding by high standards of accommodation and safe transportation. She said the government was working on a national tourism policy, site development framework, data collection, and feedback from clients. She said in the coming weeks the government would be requesting expressions of interest for lodges and resorts.

She appealed to the tourism industry stakeholders to help government develop a calendar of consistent, affordable, monthly events for not only overseas-based Guyanese and foreigners. Instead, she said the focus should also be on Guyanese living here who could serve as “our ambassadors, our advocates” to reignite patriotism rather than focus on negativity.