Saxacalli on the Essequibo River has received the blueprint of a tourism action plan and a craft project proposal that would see funding from the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP)/Caribbean Secretariat to help create a base for eco-tourism in that community.

Saxacalli, a riverain community with a population of about 250 persons, is named for the riverside bird, the kingfisher in the Arawak language.

In what could best be described as a red-letter day for Saxacalli, as a number of high-ranking government and other officials were visiting the community, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manzoor Nadir, handed over the "workable" action plan. And the Saxacalli Primary School was also commissioned in a double ceremony.

The delegation included a team from the tourism ministry, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Harripersaud Nokta; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Hydar Ally; Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands) Chairman, Esau Dookie; Charge d'Affaires in the US Embassy in Guyana, Andrew Parker; and members of the media.

The chairman of the proceedings and head of the women's group in the area, Phylis Valenzuela described the occasion as a signal event. She said that it was hoped it would be the end of all the boats going past Saxacalli with passengers just a waving their hands as they make their way to and from Bartica and other destinations.

Director of the CYP/Caribbean Secretariat, Armstrong Alexis, in a symbolic gesture handed over the proposal for a community craft project to the Saxacalli Community Development Council which last week received the sum of US$1,000 to get the project off the ground.

The funds will be used for training in handicraft and woodcarving to be executed by the Rural Women's Network within a week. The training will be done by trainers selected from other communities in Guyana where similar craft projects are in operation. Among the skills to be learnt are the sourcing and extraction of raw materials from the forest and the processing and preparation of those materials.

Chairman of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Tourism Shyam Nokta who spoke briefly about the tourism action plan noted that it was designed by the University of Guyana's Caribbean and Tourism Studies Unit in collaboration with members of the community.

According to an overview, the plan takes into consideration the current status of Saxacalli village, its present and future plans along with the national context of tourism development.

It also identifies actions that could be realised through community initiatives with interventions of resources from support organisations and groups and sets out a one-year time frame for execution. Wider stakeholder groups would be engaged for the development of partnerships to assist the community in its tourism development.

Nokta said it was envisaged that the community would take the lead in the implementation with assistance from other stakeholders, principally the Tourism Ministry and others in the sector.

The initiative, he said, was one where the principal stakeholders in the local sector were collaborating and pooling their resources towards the development of community-based tourism. The success of this planning process and the development of Saxacalli's tourism could serve as a model for other areas of Guyana to realise their tourism potential.

Apart from its cultural elements, such as the blend of Amerindian and other ethnic cultures and natural products such as flora and fauna, the community has a number of activities that could be promoted.

On account of the number of monkeys that frequent the village, the island could be made a sanctuary for monkeys in addition to other wildlife if poaching and hunting is limited.

Other activities that could be promoted range from sports such as cricket and volleyball, swimming, and boat rides to simply relaxing in a hammock under the shade of the bamboo trees; nature walks through the forest on a developed trail, which could include a tour of the village, dugout canoe rides up nearby creeks; and visits to the community centre to see handicraft being made.

Among other areas looked at in the plan are product development which would include initially the construction of a visitor's centre, assessing the tourism potential of other areas within the vicinity, building dug-out canoes, education and awareness, training and marketing and promotion.

It is envisaged in the second phase of the project to put a network in place to link Saxacalli to a number of tour operators and resorts so that the community is included on the itinerary of tours to that part of the Essequibo River.

In his address Nadir said that it was very important for the community to have the ability to earn, especially when the wildlife, forest and river resources are under threat. The Essequibo River, including Saxacalli among other places, he said, was currently poised to be the premier tourism and eco-tourism destination in Guyana.

He noted that a number of resorts, Baganara, Baracara and Shanklands, among others, provide hikes on nature trails and water sports among other recreational activities and many prominent citizens were now occupying lands along the river, including internationally acclaimed Guyanese singer Eddy Grant.