GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) – Guyana has been told that the tourism industry could bring US$1 billion in revenue annually if it repeals some of the “colonial” era laws that could be used to discriminate against same sex couples.

President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Dee George, speaking at a Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) event, said that Guyana should position itself to cash in on the the global the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) tourism market which contributes US$200 billion annually to the travel industry, and US$65 billion annually alone from the United States’ LGBTQ+ segment of tourists.

“Assuming Guyana can capture just one per cent of the global LGBTQ+ travel market, this would translate to an estimated annual revenue increase of two billion dollars,” George told the Guyana Together event, ahead of the September 27 observance of World Tourism Day.

“If the country were to capture a modest five per cent percent of the US LGBTQ+ market alone, this would result in an additional US$325 million in annual revenue for the tourism sector,” George said.

She said her organisation received feedback that the Law Reform Commission (LRC) should be asked to scrap Sections 351 to 353 of the Criminal Law Offences Act which outlaws buggery, assaulting anyone to commit buggery and being male indecently assaults another male person and penalises offenders with a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.

George said the THAG members had said because Guyana’s laws criminalise same-sex intimacy, “it has cost us potential revenue and it has also cost us quite an image that we are not open for business to that segment”.

SASOD’s general manager, Joel Simpson, said while that and other similar laws had not been enforced for more than 50 years, their mere existence on Guyana’s lawbooks dampen the freedom to engage in same-sex intimacy behind closed doors because legally they still commit an offence without being caught.

“When you go to bed every night in a hotel room and you get intimate with your partner because you are in a same-sex practicing relationship, you are basically an un-apprehended criminal so how you dan you keep safe in a country like this which is Guyana,” he said. SASOD said it plans to ask the LRC to recommend the repeal of “everything that is colonial in nature” such as vagrancy and loitering that impinge on the vulnerable.

He told the conference that with LGBTQ+ community accounting for seven to 10 per cent of the total travel industry, Guyana is losing much needed tourist dollars since the International LGBTQ+ Association says that segment tends to spend more per trip, visit more frequently and participate in more activities.

He said by alienating that market segment, Guyana is not benefitting from a potentially high spending, high frequency demographic and was regarded as being closed for business in that regard.

“Especially because Guyana is surrounded by countries that have embraced pro-LGBT policies, we are losing potential visitors and precious tourism revenue so as long as our laws criminalising LGBT people, tourists, friends, family, co-workers, the very close persons to us remain, we certainly would have to reflect on what that translates to,” he added.