Another 1,000 hotel rooms to open in Guyana by 2025

Guyana’s hospitality sector is set for remarkable growth with the addition of 1,000 hotel rooms projected for 2025, bolstered by the opening of several internationally branded hotels.

This year, two internationally acclaimed hotels, Aiden by Best Western and the Royal Hotel opened, bringing 400 new high-quality rooms into Guyana.

As other branded hotels are near completion, the nation’s total room stock is expected to increase significantly, further solidifying Guyana’s position as a competitive player in the regional tourism market.

During an end-of-year briefing at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre on Wednesday, Minister of Tourism Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond expressed confidence in the government’s role in fostering this expansion.

Expounding on the benefits of this growth, Minister Walrond noted, “This expanding capacity naturally enables us to host major international events and positions as a competitive player in the regional tourism market.”

The additional rooms aim to accommodate an influx of international visitors during peak festive seasons such as Cricket Carnival and Mashramani, while also offering luxurious experiences to residents and diaspora Guyanese.

The surge in room availability complements Guyana’s rising popularity as a tourist destination.

Visitor arrival rates in October 2024 have increased by 22.5% compared to October 2023, marking the highest figure of growth for October in Guyana’s history.

From January to October 2024, visitor arrival grew by 15% compared to the same period in 2023. This percentage represents a total of almost 300,000 visitors entering Guyana.

Minister Walrond emphasised that the visitor statistics reflect only non-resident arrivals, excluding resident Guyanese and business travellers.

“This is a result of strategic vision to bring visitors to Guyana, to build out more tourism products in sports tourism, in meetings and conferences so that visitors arrival continues to see that growth,” the minister said.

Of the visitors arriving this year, 46% are from the United States, 28% from the Caribbean, 8% from Canada, 6% from Europe, 6% from Latin America and 6% from other markets.

According to Minister Walrond, “Nine out of our ten months (of statistics) have been record-breaking.”

To enhance visitor experiences, the Ministry of Tourism has invested in funding and training to support the establishment of bed and breakfast properties. This year, the Guyana Tourism Authority conditionally approved 36 such establishments across the country.

These initiatives aim to diversify the hospitality market while creating opportunities and benefits for local businesses and communities.