Min Rodrigues urges unified Caribbean approach to unlock tourism potential

Guyana is calling for a more unified Caribbean approach to tourism, built on stronger connectivity, greater community participation and coordinated action across sectors to ensure the industry delivers wider economic and social benefits.

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Susan Rodrigues made the call on Thursday as she participated in the Ministerial Session, “Competing for Tomorrow: Ministerial Priorities for a Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Caribbean,” at the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) at the Atlantic Suites by Hyatt, Kingston, Georgetown.

For Minister Rodrigues, the way forward requires Caribbean governments to move beyond operating within individual sectors and pursue a shared regional agenda.

She said, “It must be a coherent or collective governance. It’s not isolated by sector. All the sectors must be working towards one common goal and one common objective, which is the Caribbean people.”

She explained that tourism must be viewed as part of a wider development framework, where investments in infrastructure, transportation, trade, education, and healthcare work together to improve the lives of citizens.

This approach is already shaping Guyana’s development trajectory, with major investments in roads and connectivity opening access to remote and Indigenous communities while creating new avenues for trade and investment.

“Because for Guyana, connectivity is not a tourism issue at all. It’s a developmental issue,” Minister Rodrigues said.

The minister pointed to a 432 per cent increase in passenger movement over the past six years, alongside an 88.5 per cent increase in total imports and exports, as evidence of the wider economic impact of improved connectivity.

She said the objective is not simply to move people from one destination to another, but to open access to opportunity.

Roads, for example, are being developed not merely to improve transportation, but to connect communities to healthcare, education, markets, and other essential services. The same principle, she said, must underpin the region’s tourism ambitions.

Guyana is also seeking to ensure that tourism generates opportunities for entrepreneurs and communities, rather than being confined to traditional employment.

Through the Guyana Development Bank, small businesses can access zero-interest financing of up to $3 million to start or expand their operations.

The government continues to work with financial institutions to widen access to capital.

She said this approach is critical to building a stronger tourism ecosystem in which local businesses, manufacturers, processors and service providers can benefit from the sector’s expansion.

“Tourism has to be about driving entrepreneurship,” she said.

The minister also pointed to Guyana’s Indigenous tourism model, where communities are using resources from the country’s Carbon Credit programme to develop accommodation and create authentic tourism experiences.

Under Guyana’s benefit sharing mechanism, 15 per cent of carbon credit proceeds are allocated to Indigenous communities, allowing them to invest in local priorities and economic development.

She also urged the Caribbean to embrace change while protecting the region’s unique identity.

With Guyana sharing a border with Brazil, she identified greater Portuguese language capacity as one avenue for expanding visitor markets, strengthening cultural exchanges and opening new opportunities for trade.

The minister said the region must therefore preserve what makes the Caribbean distinctive while adapting to shifts globally.

“We have to settle on what our identity is as a Caribbean, and then market that to our visitors, ensuring, at the same time, that all the people benefit across all of our countries,” Minister Rodrigues said.

Her call comes as SOTIC 2026 brings together governments, tourism stakeholders, researchers, innovators, youth and the private sector under the theme “Tourism Futures: Smart, Sustainable, and Inclusive.”

The high-level discussion brought together regional leaders including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information of Saint Lucia, Dr Ernest Hilaire; Minister of Tourism, Health and Sports of Anguilla, Cardigan Connor; Minister of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage and the Environment of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Zhavargo Jermaine Jolly; and Junior Minister for Culture and Tourism of the British Virgin Islands, Luce Hodge Smith.

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