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GEORGETOWN, Guyana (GINA) -- Guyana has been formally presented with the Tourism Circuit Manual of the Amazon Tourism Trail during a forum at the Guyana International Conference Centre that was organized by the Ministry of Tourism, the Guyana Tourism Authority and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO), after which a workshop to discuss the manual’s uses, applications and the next steps forward was held.

The formulation of the manual resulted directly from the involvement of ACTO’s move to develop integrated tourism for the Amazon region, and focuses on Guyana, Suriname and Brazil.

Minister of Tourism (ag), Irfaan Alli, said the manual offers the opportunity for Guyana’s tourism sector to proactively and aggressively enter and expand markets. He explained that while Guyana is behind in pushing the local tourism package forward, the country is now strategically positioned as a part of Amazon tourism.

Ali added that it is time for the sector to lobby and move the integration process forward to link Guyana and the Caribbean with the Amazon.

Pointing out that the manual comes at a critical time in the three countries, he said steps already taken by Guyana will speed up the process of the Amazon link. He referred to the links between Brazil, Suriname and Guyana, which have already begun to open up tourism opportunities.

The minister urged that members of the private sector should invest, as they will be motivated into the right direction for potential profit and benefit, especially if the rest of the Caribbean agrees to join with the Amazon tourism link.

Ali said that this aspect of world tourism will include the offering of sustainable products to tourists. He pointed out also that the manual offers products that go beyond Guyana and which can compete effectively in international markets.

Director, GTA Indranauth Haralsingh, explained that ACTO is a regional body created by treaty to promote cooperation among eight member countries, Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela, Suriname, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, to advance sustainable development of the Amazon region.

Regional integration of tourism circuits is part of the strategic action and priorities for the tourism agenda for the Amazon region. This, Haralsingh explained, will help in promoting and boosting multi and geographic destination travel, to all of which Guyana is totally committed and will soon become a part of the Caribbean tourism circuits

ACTO consultant Karola Tippman noted that, while 2011 saw an 11 percent increase of tourists in the Amazonian regions, the Amazon/Caribbean tourism trail, which includes Guyana, Suriname and Brazil, will now present a new image of the Amazon to the world, where the Caribbean meets the Amazon and biodiversity and cultural aspects of the regions are transmitted to the international market.

She stated that the tourism circuits are an invitation to create new tourism frameworks and for political and private sector commitments.

The manual is an information guide for all countries and shows how globalization and travelling need new countries. It also expresses a change of thinking, moving from national to regional contexts.

In March, there will be an official launch in Germany, Berlin at the International Tourism Fair, where Guyana, Suriname and Brazil will be placed on the Global Tourism Market.

Donald Sinclair, coordinator of infrastructure, tourism, transport and communication for ACTO, stressed the importance for full political and private sector support. Sinclair pointed to the fact that the manual is a tool for use by the public and private sectors and communities.

Its current information can provide for guidance and informed decisions about product development and infrastructure, and to stimulate public sector responses.

Itinerary designs and modification information can be found in the manual, along with information on climate, infrastructure, and socio economic data from the three countries.

Providing services such as transportation, accounts, food, and banking transfers are all covered in the manual.

Sinclair also urged that the lines of action prompted by the manual need to be supported at all levels, with marketing opportunities seen and seized.

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