Tour operators in Guyana are fully booked and wider sections of the economy are seeing benefits as the country hosts the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket tournament, the head of the tourism body said on Wednesday.Mitra Ramkumar, President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), said sports tourism was proving to be a major driver of growth.“It’s an exciting time. For THAG members, and for us at Roraima, we’ve been receiving so many Kaieteur bookings that we can’t even handle them. Every other tour operator has been receiving bookings as well,” Ramkumar told the News Room.Mitra Ramkumar, President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG)The surge in visitors has allowed operators to take advantage of off-days between matches to run excursions to local attractions.The CPL generated a record-breaking US$101 million for Guyana’s economy in 2023. While figures for 2024 are still to be released, Ramkumar said the momentum was clear and the impact was expanding.“When one travels to the destination, they don’t only need a hotel. It drives consumer demand and that benefits everyone, even those not directly in the tourism industry … farmers, vendors, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, the man on the street selling craft or egg ball – they all benefit,” he said.Ramkumar added that CPL highlighted Guyana’s growing ability to stage international sporting events, creating a ripple effect across the economy. “Sports tourism is not just about cricket or hotels; it gives Guyanese at every level a chance to benefit,” he said.The post Tour operators fully booked as Guyana reaps gains from CPL appeared first on News Room Guyana.