THE Ministry of Tourism and Industry is making strides in developing potential tourist sites in the country in an effort to sell Guyana as a tourist destination, according to Tourism and Industry Minister, Mr. Manzoor Nadir.

The ministry wants to ensure that it can upgrade several tourist facilities and had included in its activities to mark Tourism Awareness Month observed last month development works to boost several of these areas, he said at a news conference Friday at the ministry in Georgetown.

During last month the ministry had planned and has done some preparations for developing tourist sites targetting the Number 63 beach in Berbice, the Georgetown Seawall, and Kaieteur and Orinduik falls in the interior.

He said the road leading to the Number 63 beach will be upgraded and the Interim Managment Committee, which was launched to manage that beach, is looking at the possibility of cleaning the area before Christmas.

He reported that the ministry is examining ways of improving seating and lighting at the Georgetown Seawall. It is also discussing the possibility of putting up a sanitary facility there and will be working towards this in collaboration with the Mayor and City Council, he said.

Nadir said the ministry is planning to improve the visitor area and build a guest house at Kaieteur Falls and at Orinduik, it plans to provide seats and other facilities for tourists to relax during visits.

The ministry has already received a donation of $400,000 worth of furniture from a member of the private sector for this purpose.

The minister noted that while Tourism Awareness Month was a successful venture and the ministry managed to carry out planned activities, the one failure was that he was unable to present the Tourism Authority Bill in Parliament.

He said the bill is being reviewed by the legal affairs department but most of the policy decisions have been made and agreement reached on its content.

He is hopeful that he can still get the bill to Parliament before the end of the year.

The Ministry of Tourism has also planned several activities for the Christmas season and Nadir said that from all indications the ministry will have a good season for tourism this Christmas.

He said it recently launched a 24-hour Consumer Affairs Hotline to deal with complaints of consumers during this time and people will be informed through the ministry of their rights and how they can address their complaints using the institutions that the Government has in place to assist them.

These, he said, include the Food and Drug Administration, the National Bureau of Standards, and the Consumer Affairs Division at the ministry.

Nadir said the ministry has not been able to formally set up its commerce department but officials within the ministry have been operating as the technical persons within the department.

They have since been receiving a number of complaints from the business community, including the retailers whose businesses were burnt on Regent Street earlier this year and are having difficulties getting permission from the City Council to rebuild.

He said the department is also planning to assist small businesses.

Commenting on industrial development, which falls under the ministry's portfolio, Nadir reported that it is working to ensure that development works at the Coldingen, East Coast Demerara and Eccles, East Bank Demerara industrial estates will be completed before the end of the year.

He said infrastructure at Coldigen has been boosted and modern facilities have been put in place while at Eccles, the ministry is trying to finish the infrastructure.

He said the Government's greatest concern is formalising lease agreements which have some hiccups but it is willing to make the land available on a very long-term lease or other arrangements at a minimal cost to the investor.

Where industry is concerned, he said the Government looks after two factors of production, land, and labour - where it looks after training of personnel, for instance.

The investor must be able to mobilise the resources in a feasible project and have the risk-taking ability to invest and reap the rewards of those risks, he said, adding that the Government has challenged the local manufacturing sector to work with it in producing material that can be used to promote the businesses overseas.