Da Silva woes tourism investment from region Vows to protect Kaieteur environment Stabroek News October 7, 2000 Minister of Trade, Tourism and Industry, Geoffrey Da Silva has issued an invitation to Caribbean nationals to help in Guyana's development by taking up residence here and investing in the economy. Addressing a group of Jamaican travel agents and journalists at Le Meridien Pegasus on Thursday evening, Da Silva said that Guyana is an enormous country with great opportunities but "we cannot do it on our own." He said "not that we do not have people with the skills but we do not have enough people to handle this enormously big country." Significant investment in an area, he said, requires significant growth. "In order to maintain that we need Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Barbadians and others to develop this country," he posited. The Jamaicans paid a five-day visit to Guyana on a familiarisation tour at the invitation of regional airline BWIA and tour operator Wilderness Explorers. Commending the initiative taken by BWIA (Kingston) which organised the tour in conjunction with BWIA (Georgetown), Da Silva said that the two businesses are not only showcasing the country's tourism product but are building closer economic relations between Guyana and Jamaica. Guyana, he said, sees the Single Market and Economy for the Caribbean not only in terms of agriculture and manufacturing but in the development of the tourism industry in the Caribbean. In discussions in July with his Jamaican counterpart, Da Silva said that they broached how Jamaicans can help with development of the local tourism industry through expertise and investment. The Jamaicans, he said, could be honorary ambassadors for Guyana in promoting the opportunities which it has to offer the region. He noted that the Jamaicans did not visit the south of the country which borders Brazil and predicted that in another two decades it would be one of the most important places in the country. Speaking of the Kaieteur Falls, Da Silva said "we are very conscious that as we increase the number of visitors to Kaieteur Falls certain facilities would have to be put in place." As Minister of Tourism, he declared, he is determined that it will not be abused and therefore development there will be small scale so as not to overwhelm the environment. Kaieteur Falls, he told the guests, "is a very spiritual place... a very unique place within the world and we know it is a treasure that is for our people, for the world and the many generations to come." As Guyana works to develop domestic tourism, he believes that a way must be found for every Guyanese to make a pilgrimage to Kaieteur at least once. Speaking with Stabroek News, BWIA Sales Represen-tative in Kingston, Sonia Finnikin said that she was pleased with what she had seen of Guyana's tourism. Finnikin, who was in Guyana five years ago with a group of journalists said she has discerned a more unified body of tour operators and an expansion of the local tourism product - eco-tourism. Though Jamaica offers eco-tourism as a by-product, she said that Guyana's product and focus is on eco-tourism which is varied and could help to expand the horizon of Caribbean people. The objective of the tour, she said, was to educate travel agents and tour operators in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and other areas serviced by the Kingston office on how they can best sell the Guyana destination. Though there is no direct flight to Kingston, BWIA connects Guyana to Jamaica with three direct flights from Port-of-Spain to Kingston each week. In addition there are daily flights with stops in Barbados, Antigua and other destinations. In brief remarks, Managing Director of Wilderness Explorers, Tony Thorne noted that a recent study on the economy in Guyana has rated the local tourism industry, though small, as the number three industry in Guyana. (Miranda La Rose) Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today