Region Two Tourism Association forms core committee

Jul 06, 2017 News

Members of the Tourism Association,
Chairman Maria Lord center in chair”

Members of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce formed the core committee of the Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) Tourism Association, last Tuesday. The move to form the Association was instigated by the Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Business.
The Department of Tourism aims at spreading tourism to all regions in an effort to elevate regional development.
As such, the Department of Tourism hosted a workshop last Tuesday, in the Regional Administration Boardroom. It was aimed at identifying “Tourism Hotspots” in Region Two. Attendees included President of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce Deleep Singh, General Director of the Department of Tourism Mr. Donald Sinclair, Toshaos and other members of the Chamber.
The workshop concluded with the formation of the core committee of the Region Two Tourism Association.
According to Mr. Sinclair, “Tourism in Region Two has been under-promoted and underestimated.
He believes that with commitment all stakeholders can drive the Region’s tourism forward. Special emphasis was placed on the main tourism hotspots outside of Anna Regina.
There was a focus on such as the Pomeroon (famous for its coconut festival) and Amerindian Villages (famous for their natural lakes.) Among some of the hotspots targeted were Lake Mainstay, Lake Capoey, Lake Mashabo, Pomeroon cluster (Kabakaburi, Akawini, Wakapao, Adel’s Resort) and Supenaam/ Bethany.
Plans were made to develop the Sirki Sands area in the Pomeroon into a Biodiversity Park. Sinclair said, “One of the projects is the Region Two Biodiversity Park. An area has been identified because it has rich birdlife and flora. Those are attractions that tourists find great pleasure in.
At the same time we want to adopt a strong climate sensitive tourism; this is a new form of tourism that respects the environment and leave no doubt that climate change is a reality. “We are taking steps to engage the environment in a positive way to maintain the flora so they can be preserved and not destroyed.”
The development of the Region’s Tourism sector is challenged significantly since there’s still a lack of relevant resources, awareness training, marketing and organization. Stakeholders expressed their readiness in taking up the task of promoting tourism despite the many challenges.
Mr. Sinclair believes that Tourism is a tool for development and Region two should get in line in identifying their Tourism Hotspots.
Sinclair was also confident that the Region would gradually get over its challenges.
Some believe that the Region’s crime may be a contributory factor to its stagnant tourism sector. Sinclair said that crime is a national and international problem. “There are some countries that are heavily visited despite a high crime rate.
“Figures established that crime has been confined to a narrow corridor of the population. We still have to take steps to reduce crime, at the same time we need to study the nature of it, is it domestic and how much if it is directed against foreigners and visitors?”
“The five Toshaos exercised their readiness in attending the meeting. That suggested that they are ready to be part of promoting tourism, they showed that their ready for a rethink.”
The Biodiversity Park once proven a reality is expected to attract international funding. The Department of Tourism promised to work with the newly form tourism association to explore some of the findings and historical sites in Region Two.

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