Suriname: Growth of Tourism Predicted

Suriname wants to increase the number of visitors by at least 10 percent annually, reported the Ministry of Tourism of this Caribbean and South American country Thursday.

The purpose was expressed in the Dutch city of Utrecht by Surinamese Tourism Minister Falisie Pinas, who is promoting his country as tourist destination in the 2012 Vakantiebeurs (Vacations Fair).

The Vakantiebeurs Fair is the biggest company fair of the tourism industry in Holland, with the participation of 18 Surinamese companies, who are trying to capture the biggest number of Dutch tourists as possible.

"The authorities have taken many measures, including the introduction of tourist cards, and we should promote Suriname in a more aggressive way now," said Pinas to the press.

Meanwhile, the director of the Foundation of Tourism of Suriname, Armand Li-A-Young, revealed that the policy is centered in increasing by at least 50 percent in two years the real number of tourists who do not have links with Suriname.

He recalled that in 2010, nearly 270,000 people visited Suriname, including 70,000 Surinamese migrants who returned to enjoy vacations in their native country.

He explained that around 65 percent of the remaining 200,000 visitors were Dutch, and other tourists were coming from French Guyana and other parts of the world.