Above: Guyana President Donald Ramotar welcoming the flight

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A flight by Suriname’s national air carrier touched down in Guyana Tuesday for the first time in six years, welcomed by Guyanese President Donald Ramotar and a team of government officials.

The flight by Surinam Airways stopped in Guyana en route to Miami. One of its passengers was Suriname President Desi Bouterse, who met with Ramotar after the plane arrived at Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

The flight marks another step in improved interaction between the two South American neighbors, with 33,000 visitors from Guyana to Suriname in 2011.

“I think that we need more flights directly to our countries, for the development of tourism, because we do have a very good tourist product that we can develop, and Surinam Airways coming here offers us also an easier way and probably a faster way of getting to Europe and attracting more European tourists to make Guyana a destination at this point in time,” Ramotar said.

The President said more access to regional destinations is as important as travel between Paramaribo and Georgetown.

Guyana is currently building a 14,000-square-metre, multiple-terminal complex at its airport.

Ramotar and Bouterse also held bilateral talks at CARICOM headquarters in Georgetown.