Jet Blue is expected to launch the carrier’s first flights to Guyana beginning in 2020, according to local media reports. Jet Blue executives “discussed several routes” the airline will establish in the months ahead, including Guyana-New York itineraries, company sources told the state-owned Guyana Chronicle newspaper.
JetBlue sources told the Guyana Chronicle that officials are brainstorming the type of aircraft to service this route. The development comes following a January press briefing at which Annette Ferguson, minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, said Jet Blue is among several airlines to have indicated an interest in establishing service to Guyana.
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“They are in contact with the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure that the necessary paperwork, documentation that they have to submit is handed in,” she said.
American Airlines currently flies to Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport from Miami International Airport. The Jet Blue service would operate from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Nevertheless, in a Caribbean News Now report, Jet Blue officials said the company has “not made any public announcements regarding service in Guyana.” Meanwhile, the report adds that Cheddi Jagan International Airport is scheduled to complete an expansion this summer.
Among the least-visited of the 29 destinations tracked by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Guyana is nevertheless expanding its arrival numbers and tourism marketing initiatives. Guyana hosted 286,732 visitors in 2018, a 15.9 percent increase from the 247,330 visitors welcomed in 2017.
In recent years the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has worked to raise the destination’s profile through “increased product development, awareness raising activities and niche marketing,” said GTA officials in a statement.
Guyana’s visitor attractions are highlighted by its pristine rainforest and the savannahs of the Rupununi and majestic Kaieteur Falls. Travelers will find distinctive indigenous community-owned eco-lodges and nature resorts on the Essequibo and Demerara Rivers, along with Guyanese events such as Bartica Regatta and Guyana Carnival.
Kaieteur National Park hosted 8,195 visitors in 2018, which is a 10 percent increase from the previous year. Guyana also recently became the first country to adopt the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s International Adventure Travel Guide Qualification & Performance Standards.
“Word of Guyana’s unique tourism offerings is reaching more people around the world and destination Guyana continues to gain significance,” said Dominic Gaskin, minister of business with responsibility for tourism.
Guyana’s government “will continue to provide the necessary support and incentives as an impetus to the sector,” he said, while “The Department of Tourism and the Guyana Tourism Authority will continue to work with stakeholders in keeping with the Living Guyana Tourism Strategic Action Plan 2018-2025.”
“This is a great achievement for Guyana,” added Brian T. Mullis, GTA’s director. “We are beginning to attract an increasing number of travelers seeking our authentic nature, culture and adventure experiences within our core markets.
“Increased visitation means increased income into Guyana that provides benefits across sectors,” he added. “We aim to increase the volume of visitors and the value they each represent to further amplify the positive impacts from tourism.”
