PREPARATIONS are under way by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce for the annual tourism event 'Main Big Lime' to be held Sunday on Main Street, Georgetown.

The `Big Lime' was introduced two years ago and was usually held early December to usher in the Christmas spirit.

But although it has been shifted to the end of the month this time around, Tourism Minister, Mr. Manzoor Nadir is optimistic it will be big.

He said the lime is slated to begin at noon with an informal opening and close at midnight.

There will be no official ceremony to mark the occasion and people will fit in the way they normally do, he said.

Top bands from across Guyana would be providing live musical entertainment and there would be many booths along Main Street, between Church and Lamaha streets, displaying aspects of tourism and selling a wide variety of products, he said.

"It would be a time and place for many Guyanese and their relatives visiting from abroad to go and relax, enjoy the entertainment and have fun."

Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President Mr. Gerry Gouveia said the 'Main Big Lime' has become a very important item on Guyana's calendar of events and much could be made out of it for tourism.

He said although the event is coming off a little later than usual, taking into account that its original timing was to set the tone for the festive season, there would no negative impact.

"Some changes frighten people, but I don't see that as a big negative. While it is good to have it at a time when all the visitors are beginning come in, 'Main Big Lime' is a Guyanese thing and we have to make it work as an annual national event ".

Commenting on last year's event, Gouveia said it was magnificent and useful in highlighting the tourism potential here.

But he added, "bearing in mind that the country had a turbulent year in 2001 and many things were delayed, we should use the year 2000 as the standard and try to upkeep that".