Green Travel Guide to Guyana
Video footage provided by the Guyana Tourism Authority
Foreword by Carla James,
Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority
I am privileged to be the Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), a national tourism board that is just beginning to realise its potential in green travel, which we are well suited for.
Guyana is a special destination and the kind of place that is becoming increasingly rare in the world today. It is home to pristine nature and authentic cultural experiences including virgin rainforests, vast open spaces, rich biodiversity and nine Indigenous Peoples who are proud to share their traditions and knowledge with travellers.
Guyana has a long-standing sustainability agenda, and we have a strong conservation ethic. Sustainability is a way of life for many and our approach to tourism has always been built on sustainable principles. Building on this foundation, we’ve made a concerted effort to ensure that sustainable destination management best practices are ingrained in our strategies, plans, policies, regulations, product development and capacity building initiatives.
We want to develop and promote sustainable tourism through inter-ministerial and multi-stakeholder collaboration to maximise local socio-economic and conservation outcomes and provide a first-rate traveller experience.
Guyana is one of the best places in the world to see wildlife, including iconic species such as the jaguar, giant anteater, giant river otter and Harpy Eagle to name but a few, and to experience community-led and owned tourism. Indigenous communities own and manage their own tourism enterprises, from running eco-lodges to taking travellers out on immersive tours to discover the ancestral lands on which these enterprises are based. Their low-carbon lifestyle and conservation efforts of their ancestral lands mean that tourism not only has minimal impact on the environment but provides the essential livelihood required to sustain these communities.
The GTA has picked up numerous internationally recognised awards on account of its sustainable destination management. We are delighted that our hard work is paying off and we welcome travellers to join us on this journey.
Selection of images of Guyana
All images supplied by Guyana Tourism Authority.
Image credits: All images are copyright Guyana Tourism Authority, unless stated below:
Kaieteur falls; Rewa Lodge and Lily pads; River Boating; Birdwatcher; Surama traditional dress: All Jamie Lafferty, Guyana Tourism Authority
Canopy Walkway: Brian Mullis; Monkey Frog, North Rupununi: FotoNatura.
Text edited by Paul Bloomfield and Sarah Baxter
Artwork by Tina Smith
Video edited by Richard Hammond