Weeks before GT3-spec supercars put on a daring show at the South Dakota Circuit at Timehri, hotels in Georgetown are already feeling the excitement of the July 11 and 12 GT Challenge de Las Americas. Elite racers and teams from across Latin America are already filling up rooms.
That is the intention, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said, of bringing the prestigious international motorsport series to Guyana.
A Porsche, one of the GT3-spec supercars
“Hotels are being taken up at a rapid pace,” he told those gathered at State House during a dinner featuring racing officials, private sector partners and diplomatson Wednesday evening.
The government’s strategy is deliberate: modernise the South Dakota facility, build the hotels alongside it and let the events do the rest.
As a matter of fact, the 3rd leg of the GT Challenge de Las Americas is part of a long-term strategy of positioning sport tourism as a “powerful economic sector” in Guyana.
Globally, sports tourism is worth roughly US$672 billion a year. The commercial motorsport market was US$9.5 billion in 2024 and is looking to double that by 2034. The Miami Grand Prix generates around US$505 million annually for its host city alone.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali
“If you see the modelling, the economic model, and the surveys done by the University of the West Indies, it is just enormous – the type of benefit and economic spin-off that comes to the country,” the president explained.
The Guyanese head of state made it clear that the ambition goes further than one international event.
“We’re not stopping. We’re going to continue to invest. We’re going all the way to the top,” the president declared. “World-class ambitions require world-class facilities. If Guyana wishes to become the sports capital of the Caribbean, then our infrastructure must reflect that ambition.“
The Four Points by Sheraton, one of several hotels constructed under the PPP/C Administration
The president noted that the government understands the potential of motor sports, and the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club can look forward to continuing the governmental support as this sector develops.
Getting there also means the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMRSC) has to become bigger than a race organiser.
The president said the club must now take on the responsibility of becoming the engine of an entire industry, one that builds jobs, develops local engineering talent and keeps international competition returning regularly.
“This is about supporting a national product that is going to have tremendous economic value. This is about filling hotel rooms, filling restaurants, filling bars.”
The government has placed sport tourism as one pillar of its wider economic diversification agenda, which it seeks to achieve by 2030, ensuring the Guyanese economy is protected from global economic shortfalls.
To complement this, the administration has facilitated the construction of several internationally branded hotels in Georgetown to support the increase in visitors. This year alone, Guyana will host 11 conferences and six major sporting events and activities.
