A baseline assessment has found the country complies with 60 per cent of Green Destinations' sustainability criteria, with 10 tourism businesses now certified under the Good Travel Seal programme.

Good Travel Institute Business Certification and Assurance Manager Elizabeth Boon said the figure does not mean the country is 60 per cent sustainable.
"It's more that Guyana has complied with 60 per cent of the criteria," she said.

Boon said the assessment shows Guyana's strengths and the areas needing work, and has informed a tourism action plan. Further work will focus on the visitor experience rather than policies, with the aim of attracting visitors who are more conscious of their impact.

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) is working with Green Destinations, an international organisation that promotes sustainable tourism practices among destinations and businesses, and is moving to bring more operators into the scheme.

Boon said Green Destinations, which began with destination certification only, created the Good Travel Seal after realising that businesses had to be part of the sustainability process.

"How can a destination be sustainable if the businesses within it are not working on sustainability as well?" Boon said.

GTA Manager of Statistics and Research Romel Richmond said the partnership began with a sustainability gap analysis in 2018. The first five businesses were certified in 2023 and another five in 2025.

He said the process requires managers to examine their operations and make changes where necessary.

"There are managers who have asked those difficult questions about waste, water, energy, community engagement and of course, visitor experiences," Richmond said.

An expression of interest was recently issued to gauge wider industry participation. Richmond said interest has come from tour operators, hotels and other tourism-related businesses, not only lodges and resorts.

"We have a number of interests that we have since documented, which is a great sign that this is coming directly from the private sector," he said.

He said certifying the entire tourism ecosystem would strengthen Guyana's overall status. The programme also places emphasis on communities involved in nature-based and cultural tourism.

The GTA said the next phase will bring more businesses into certification, build the capacity of the tourism workforce and use research and data to guide destination management.