Guyana Tourism Authority rolls out “Safe for Travel” plan

• New plan to open up tourism and guarantee communities and vacationers stay protected
• Nationwide COVID-19 Activity Power to evaluate tourism companies
• The reopening is presently in part three which has seen the growth of economic flights

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched a brand new advertising and marketing messaging tied to its revamped inspection course of as a consequence of COVID-19 titled “Protected for Journey” that sees the tourism physique, given the authority by the Nationwide COVID-19 Activity Power, to evaluate tourism companies to make sure they’re working inside the Nationwide COVID-19 Gazetted Security Measures and ready to welcome the return of home and worldwide journey. The target of the scheme is to guard the areas most affected and weak to the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to be sure that the well being and security of the traveler is at all times front-of-mind because the vacation spot reopens to tourism. 

In response to coronavirus, the Authorities of Guyana cancelled all worldwide passenger flights starting 18 March 2020, nonetheless the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority has since launched a phased re-opening method. Particulars of that are as follows: 

Section 1 – 18 March – 11 October 2020: Repatriation flights. 

• Section 2 – 12 October 2020: Restricted incoming business flights for Guyanese residents, everlasting residents, worldwide vacationers, worldwide employees and diplomats.  
• Section 3 – November 2020 (in place as of January 2021): Enlargement of incoming business flights that enable overseas nationals and worldwide vacationers to enter Guyana.  
• Section 4 – TBC: Enlargement of inbound and outbound flights to offer extra service for inbound and outbound vacationers.  

As of January 2021, this reopening is presently in part three which has seen the growth of economic flights that now enable overseas nationals and worldwide travellers to enter Guyana. With this comes danger that the virus may unfold from guests to a few of Guyana’s most weak communities in a rustic that has seen comparatively low case charges all through the pandemic.  

To guard these communities and the final inhabitants, travellers to Guyana are required to current a destructive PCR take a look at from an accredited lab. Adverse exams from inside 72 hours of arrival can be allowed to cross by means of the airport. Nevertheless, if the PCR take a look at is completed inside 4 to seven days of journey, the passenger can be required to do one other PCR take a look at upon arrival in Guyana and current a destructive take a look at. It needs to be famous that if a passenger is required to take a take a look at in Guyana, it should come at their expense at a value of GY$16,000 (approx. £56).

The ‘Protected For Journey’ scheme has been put in place as an extra measure to guard the Guyanese inhabitants, together with weak communities, and vacationers alike. Tourism companies are assessed in a two-step process. First, they need to submit their Normal Working Process (SOP) detailing how the enterprise has adjusted its practices and adopted new measures to stop the unfold of COVID-19. As soon as the SOP has been submitted, the GTA will perform an inspection on the enterprise to make sure they’re assembly the factors as follows: 

1.Signage (hand wash, masks carrying and social distancing) 

2.Temperature Monitoring (calibrated thermometer temperature checks) 

3.Sanitisation – practices and merchandise in use 

4.Employees Security 

5.Visitor Security  

6. Monitoring – how the enterprise plans to watch the effectiveness of its SOP  

As soon as a tourism enterprise has been assessed and deemed to be COVID-19 compliant by the GTA and Nationwide COVID-19 Activity Power, approval is granted for the enterprise to start working as soon as once more.

Along with these newer measures, the GTA was capable of present COVID-19 Help Packages to indigenous communities tied to the tourism worth chain earlier within the pandemic. Communities which can be actively within the tourism licensing course of and dealing with the GTA benefited from a bundle that included beneficial Ecolab cleansing and sanitation merchandise, infrared thermometers, material and stitching provides for creating masks, knapsack sprayers to disinfect buildings and baggage and so forth, and signage on COVID-19. For communities not actively concerned in tourism, the packages included sanitation merchandise, material and stitching provides for creating masks and signage on COVID-19. The assist packages had been delivered with a coaching session completed by Ecolab and Ministry of Well being representatives in addition to the GTA.