Showcase Culture in a Respectful and Meaningful Way
“In everything, there are positive and negative impacts,” said Calio Miguel Nunez Elliman, born and raised in Paruima. He has been leading expeditions in this remote region for over 30 years.
“When I started to work at the age of 21, there was no established tourism activity, only some researchers coming to study the plants and mammals.”
Elliman, now 56, said without guiding that his daily means of living involved gardening, hunting and fishing. He added that changing to a modern way of life has challenged his village.
Elliman agreed that the trips are expensive, but he’s satisfied with earning $350 per tour. The problem for him is that they’re just too few of them.
“I get to meet people of different nationalities and ensure they have fruitful experiences. It’s the best part of my job. But that’s once in a blue moon. I’d much prefer if these trips were at least once a week.”
A huge cost factor for these adventure tours remains transport, said Kamrul Baksh, director of Guyana Tourism Authority, with each transfer anywhere from $200 to $400.
With a focus on a community-driven model, he said, “the only thing that the communities are not producing is fuel.”
Baksh said the tourism authority’s focus is to grow direct bookings for local tour operators through its marketing efforts, with a direct booking website also in the pipeline.
It goes without saying, this would spur competitive pricing and increase the frequency and number of trekking groups.
Source link : https://skift.com/2022/12/20/guyanas-new-eco-tours-are-giving-indigenous-people-a-say/
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Publish date : 2022-12-20 03:00:00
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