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The purpose of this paper is to provide answers to the following questions: How was the tourism and hospitality industry in Guyana impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? What recovery strategies have been designed? What are the prospects for the successful implementation of those strategies?

The paper is based upon a qualitative analysis of the recommendations and formal proposals that were issued from a variety of sources within government, private sector and academia during the 2019–2021 period of the pandemic.

The main findings of this paper are that an industry consensus exists regarding the severity of the impact of the pandemic and the need for a collaborative strategy to be designed and innovative measures implemented in order to accelerate industry recovery. This recovery entails attracting to Destination Guyana both a new wave of health-aware travellers as well as visitors from traditional markets and the diaspora. Analysis suggests that there is a broad consensus and convergence of objectives that embrace both government and private sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a significant quantity of literature and has seen a conspicuous incorporation of scientific medical data into tourism analysis. This is only to be expected in the circumstance of a global health emergency that has devastated the global tourism industry. The value of this article lies principally in its proposal of innovative methods and strategies that are critical to tourism recovery.

This paper aims to examine the remittance behavior of Guyanese immigrants living in three communities of New York City, USA to assess their remittance behavior and if these are motivated by altruism or the intent to return to live in Guyana. Over the last two decades, remittances accounted for approximately 17 percent of the GDP of the Guyanese economy and continue to grow. The bulk of these remittances are significant from its native sons and daughters residing in the USA.

This case study uses non-experimental survey research design with survey data collected from 300 participants living in New York, with 236 selected for analysis.

Guyanese living in New York City remit monies to Guyana because of a pure altruistic motive as well as believing that their contributions have a positive impact on the economic development of their nations regardless of their intention to return to Guyana. These findings support the altruistic model on remittance motivation.

The data gathered for this survey are restricted to three communities in the USA where Guyanese are significant in numbers, thus limiting generalizations and findings to other countries such as Canada, England, where there are significant enclaves of Guyanese immigrants.

New York-based Guyanese deem their remittances as contributing to the economic development of their country. This suggest that there may room for a coordinated policy on the part of the Government of Guyana to develop a coordinated plan to engage overseas-based Guyanese to remit more to help with Guyana economic development efforts.

This is the first study to survey Guyanese in their host countries to gather information on remittances motivation and the perceived impact of these remittances from the sender's perspective. The paper highlights the significant remittance contributions of US-based Guyanese and their net private flows to Guyana.

Profiles the WHATT theme issue ‘ What innovative strategies are needed to develop tourism in Guyana for 2025?’ with reference to the experiences of the theme theme editors and writing team.

Uses structured questions to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting-point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process.

Examines the past and current state of tourism from the standpoint of a number of sector components – community-based tourism, policy, human resources, entrepreneurship among others; assesses the local and global environment impacting upon the development of the industry and explores what the theme editors regard as viable paths to a tourism sector in the year 2025.

This theme issue has a number of practical implications. Scholars and researchers may be inspired to undertake comparative studies of the trajectories of tourism development observed in emergent tourism destinations like Guyana. Those who work in tourism planning and administration will find the retrospections and proposals made of considerable value, even as those, in some cases, provoke lively debate.

This theme issue adds to the growing corpus of research and writing that focuses upon the Caribbean. While the Caribbean as a whole, or individual States, may have been the subject of research, there has been comparatively little written about Guyana as a tourism destination. This gradual increase in scholarly interest may indeed parallel the growth of the tourism industry in Guyana itself. The raft of consultants’ reports is now enriched and diversified in this theme issue that asks the hard questions and makes bold proposals.

The entry into force of the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) marks the beginning of a new era of trade relations, from preferential treatment to reciprocity, between the member states of the European Union (EU) and the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. In light of the controversy regarding the impact of the agreement, an assessment is made on the static welfare impact it is likely to generate on consumers in Guyana.

The assessment is done through the application of a partial equilibrium model to the 2008 import and tariff data of Guyana. The model captures the static welfare effect that will be occasioned by a change in tariff on imports.

The study finds that there will be a static net welfare loss to the tune of US$31.01 million or 2.2 percent of Guyana's GDP obtained for 2008. The loss is due to a large trade diversion effect which is the product of the fact that over the years Guyana imported little from the EU relative to the rest of the world minus CARIFORUM sources.

Unlike its forerunner, the import data used in this study is for the year immediately before the entering into force of the EU-CARIFORUM EPA and reflects the exact amount of imports that will be liberalized by Guyana. In addition, the study is broader in scope as it focusses on the EU-27, which is the exact number of EU member states with whom Guyana has signed the aforementioned agreement. Subject to its exactness, the study is better positioned in having its findings be used as a yardstick, given the periodic mandatory review of the EU-CARIFORUM EPA.

The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the strategies and lines of action that should be implemented if 2025 is to be a landmark year for diasporic travel to Guyana.

The primary methodology was that of document analysis drawn on the literature on diaspora tourism in Guyana and the Caribbean and interviews and discussions with relevant experts.

The diaspora market is being increasingly recognised as an important target for Guyana’s tourism industry. Strategies include facilitation of travel from and engagement with more “diaspora” countries; increased and targeted advertising to the diaspora including the promotion of special events; and the development of tourism councils in key diaspora countries.

There are many myths and misconceptions about the diaspora and their contribution to the tourism industry. Synthesising the data that highlight the contribution of this segment along with strategies and lines of action can seek to foster a greater appreciation and understanding of the contribution of the diaspora market.

This paper offers an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to explore the concept of engaging the diaspora as a viable target market in the tourism industry.

This paper provides the backdrop to the other seven articles in this WHATT 2018 theme issue dedicated to Guyana. This paper looks back and ahead at the development of tourism in Guyana. The purpose of this paper is to enable the reader to have a clear understanding of the provenance of the industry over the past 50 years and how that evolution informs the possible direction and future of the industry up to the year 2025 and beyond.

As would be expected of any study that examines the antecedence of a phenomenon, there is reliance to a significant degree upon historical material and interviews. The former comprises studies done by tourism consultants and researchers in Guyana, as well as publications from government agencies and sources. Further, especially in the quest for information relating to contemporary policies and developments, the interview method has been used.

This paper establishes that the evolution of tourism in Guyana is a movement from obscurity and insignificance to prominence and vibrancy. From being off the tourism map for many decades, Guyana is now enhancing its profile in the Caribbean region and carving a “green niche” for itself in the nature and adventure travel market.

This paper provides special value to persons working in the development of tourism, in either the public or private sector.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential of sustainable tourism as a vehicle for the protection and conservation of the Amazon rainforest in Guyana through an overview of the current status of the industry and initiatives that are employed.

The paper examines the development of community‐based tourism, protected areas, birding tourism, utilisation of protected areas for research and development through initiatives by the government, non governmental organisations and private individuals.

The paper concludes that sustainable tourism can be used as a vehicle for protecting the Amazon rainforest in Guyana as long as mechanisms are in place to ensure that it is developed in a manner that does not destroy the forest and the biodiversity but ensures the well being of the communities that it supports.

The paper will benefit tourism officials as well as persons within the field of conservation and environmental management. It will provide them with a framework of the current policies and initiatives and the future plans for the rainforest and its stakeholders.

Guyana has embarked on the promotion of the low carbon development strategy which has its genesis in sustainable development and protection of the rainforest. Thus, the paper will prove to be a very valuable resource for scholars, researchers, tourism and environmental practitioners.

This paper aims to provide answers to the strategic question: “What innovative strategies are needed to develop tourism in Guyana for 2025?”. It captures the essence of scholarly contributions made by experts and provides a concluding summary to WHATT theme issue on tourism in Guyana.

This paper draws from concepts, suggestions and solutions written by authors of seven proceeding papers. These authors cumulatively have valuable and diverse experience in managing, operating and teaching many key aspects of tourism industry. This paper presents summaries responding to seven questions on the following topics: understanding past tourism in Guyana; tourism policy and the path to sustainable tourism development; development of community-based tourism (CBT); impact in tourism from entrepreneurship ecosystem; strategies for boosting travel to Guyana from diasporic areas; justification for including Jonestown as part of dark tourism; and human resource development for tourism and hospitality.

In conclusion, a “Vision 2025 tool box for tourism in Guyana” concept is presented. Several specific recommendations related to tourism in Guyana are made.

As this paper is a combination of views from seven papers, there is no common conclusion. For further analysis, it is recommended that relevant papers of this theme issue be reviewed.

Readers who are interested in tourism in Guyana would benefit from this paper.

The main thesis of this paper is that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) hold tremendous opportunities for enhancing the quality and coverage of public goods in developing countries. Within this context, the paper examines, through a SWOT analysis, the opportunity for using Computer‐Assisted Instruction (CAI) to enhance the quality and coverage of education delivery in Guy ana at the General Secondary School (GSS) level. Its main conclusion in this regard, is that through the use of CAI, the negative effects which the shortages of trained teachers have on the quality of education delivery at the GSS level, can be reduced if not eliminated. Noteworthy, CAI can be used to support Conventional Teacher‐Centered Instruction (CTCI). In addition, it can serve to reduce urban‐rural inequal ity in terms of access to quality secondary education. The paper considers, however, that these opportunities must be predicated on an understanding of the character istic weaknesses of the education system and the related possible threats to effective application of ICT to education delivery. Of import are the informal dynamics that inter‐play in the use of certain ICT in schools, namely computers; the risk of erosion of local educational materials and tools for learning given current indigenous capacity weaknesses and the increased marketability of trained teachers for the foreign market where the application of ICT to learning occurs on a higher level. However, this paper suggests that with prudent policy approaches, the weaknesses can be overcome, the threats can be minimised and therefore the opportunities can be accomplished. In this regard, this paper concludes with policy recommendations.

The purpose of this paper is to advance the sport of golf as a compelling enhancement of the Caribbean region tourism product and assess prospects for the development of golf tourism in Guyana, catalysed by World Cup Cricket, 2007.

Documentation derived from leading researchers in the field certify contemporary golfing's international steep growth curve and global tourism implications. Additional theoretical issues include environmental consequences of Caribbean golf course development are explored. Attention is then directed toward analysis of golfing infrastructure/superstructure in Guyana.

Participation in the sport of golf is indeed experiencing a major global upswing, especially among non‐traditional devotees, largely due to the high international profiles of non‐traditional golf professionals exemplified by Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh. While some Caribbean destinations will profit considerably, the golf tourism carrying capacity of Guyana will require major upgrading to reap significant benefits.

The implications should constitute a clear wake‐up call to Guyana and other Caribbean regional tourism establishments if golf tourism is to be taken seriously as an enrichment component of the tourism product available to participants of CWC 2007.

Tourism planners and developers will be able to utilize these findings as a road map to establishing or enhancing golf tourism in their respective destinations, particularly in the Caribbean region.

The authors believe that their particular conceptual approach to the challenge of exploiting the potential golf tourism windfall from CWC 2007 represents a valuable contribution to the literature of tourism development and a seminal research piece that will find its way into the Professional Golf Management degree curriculum resources of regional and international universities that have a legacy of post‐colonial national development.