Tourism Minister Susan Rodrigues called on every Guyanese to take shared responsibility for the visitor economy on Saturday, November 1, as she launched Tourism Awareness Month 2026 at the Aiden by Best Western Hotel in Georgetown.
Speaking under the theme “Tourism is Everybody’s Business,” Rodrigues placed the capital at the centre of this year’s November observance and argued that the quality of a visitor’s experience depends on ordinary citizens as much as on hotels and tour operators, according to Guyana Times.
Georgetown takes the spotlight
The 2026 campaign highlights Georgetown’s transformation, its changing skyline and its growing role as a hub for business travel, conferences and cultural experiences. Rodrigues said the capital’s progress deserved recognition for what it delivers to the wider economy.
“We are pleased to see Georgetown transform. We are pleased to see our skyline changing with the addition of modern infrastructure… and I think it’s time that we celebrate the progress that we’ve seen in the city which greatly impacts the tourism sector here in Guyana,” the Minister said.
She also framed cleanliness as an economic issue rather than a purely municipal one, linking the state of public spaces directly to the country’s reputation as a destination.
“Keeping our city clean is therefore not only a municipal concern, but it is also a matter of civic pride, environmental responsibility, and the reputation of our destination,” Rodrigues urged.
An economy beyond oil wells
Rodrigues was at her most pointed when she described tourism as the sector that will outlast Guyana’s petroleum boom, a message that fits squarely with the government’s stated push for economic diversification. Tourism, she argued, reaches far beyond hotels and tour operators, pulling in farmers, fisherfolk, transportation providers, artisans, Indigenous communities and young entrepreneurs.
“Sectors like Tourism will be the enduring soul, the renewable lifeblood and the sustainable anchor of the Guyanese economy long after the wells run dry… A successful community tourism enterprise can support an entire network of local workers and businesses. This is what it means for tourism to be everybody’s business,” Rodrigues said.
For a liberal economy such as Guyana’s, where oil revenues dominate the headlines, the argument has weight. Tourism spreads income through small and community-owned enterprises rather than concentrating it in a few extraction contracts, and it does so with comparatively light state involvement. The minister’s own emphasis on linkages, skills and professional development reads as an endorsement of private initiative over subsidy.
Rodrigues reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing tourism as a pillar of diversification while protecting the natural and cultural assets that make “Destination Guyana” distinct. Two practical tools are being advanced toward that end: a Tourism Licensing and Regulatory Management Portal and a national destination booking engine, both designed to make it easier for visitors to find and pay for services across the country. The Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute is expected to begin operations in 2027.
Arrivals up 10 per cent as Guyana targets half a million visitors
The launch comes with solid numbers behind it. Guyana recorded 360,623 visitor arrivals by September 2026, a 10 per cent increase over the same period in 2025, and the country is aiming to pass 500,000 arrivals by the end of the year, Pravda reported.
Guyana Tourism Authority Director Kamrul Baksh said the November campaign will push tourism into every community through public engagement, digital promotions and discounted domestic travel packages. The programme also introduces a tourism mascot, unveiled on Saturday as “Carl the Capybara,” and invites citizens to submit creative interpretations of the national theme.
“Tourism is not just the Government’s business. It is not just the private sector’s business. Tourism is everybody’s business,” Rodrigues declared, in a line that neatly captures the liberal case for the sector: growth driven by individuals, businesses and communities choosing to invest their time and effort, not by state diktat.
November programme and who was in the room
Activities throughout the month include tourism specials, international promotional engagements, a Tourism Village at GuyExpo 2026 and initiatives promoting new tourism products and public awareness of opportunities in the sector, EIN Presswire reported.
Saturday’s launch drew a broad turnout: Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Roger Rogers, GTA Director Kamrul Baksh, Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana President Mitra Ramkumar, members of the diplomatic corps, Indigenous leaders and Toshaos, private sector representatives and industry stakeholders.
The presence of Toshaos and Indigenous leaders was more than ceremonial. Community tourism ventures in Guyana’s interior, many of them Indigenous-owned, are among the clearest examples of the sector creating livelihoods where the state has historically struggled to deliver. If the minister’s rhetoric about linkages is to mean anything, those enterprises will need to see real benefits from the month’s promotions, bookings and discounted travel packages.
What happens next
The test of the “everybody’s business” theme will come after November. A 10 per cent rise in arrivals shows demand is already there; the question is whether Georgetown’s hotels, restaurants, transport providers and public spaces can convert that demand into a visitor experience worth repeating. The booking engine, the licensing portal and the 2027 training institute are all, on paper, the right kind of intervention: infrastructure that lowers barriers for businesses and travellers rather than adding costs to them.
Guyana will find out by year’s end whether the 500,000-visitor target was realistic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the theme of Tourism Awareness Month 2026 in Guyana?
The theme is “Tourism is Everybody’s Business,” with Georgetown as the focal point of the November observance.
How many visitors has Guyana received in 2026 so far?
By September 2026, Guyana recorded 360,623 visitor arrivals, a 10 per cent increase over the same period in 2025, according to figures cited at the launch.
What new tourism initiatives did the government announce?
Officials highlighted a Tourism Licensing and Regulatory Management Portal, a national destination booking engine and a Hospitality and Tourism Training Institute expected to start operations in 2027.
What is Carl the Capybara?
Carl the Capybara is the national tourism mascot unveiled at the launch of Tourism Awareness Month 2026 in Georgetown.