Baracara resort folds up daily operations
Decline in tourist arrivals cited
By Miranda La Rose
Stabroek News
September 18, 2002
The Baracara Island Resort operated by Whitewater Tours at the confluence of the Essequibo and Mazaruni rivers closed its day-to-day operations last Monday, Managing Director, Jad Rahaman said.
In an interview on Monday afternoon, Rahaman told Stabroek News that he was forced to close down the day-to-day operations because it was no longer viable on a daily basis since there was a decline in tourist arrivals and the overhead expenses involved in upkeeping the facility without guests.
Rahaman, who was awarded the prestigious Caribbean Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Tourism and Hospitality in 1990, told Stabroek News that he was still keeping the facility open for groups, parties or charters.
The closing down of the daily operation, which he had opened seven years ago, is putting 14 employees — some of whom were from the area - out of jobs.
Taking the decision to close down the daily operations of the business in which he invested some US$400,000 to boost the country’s local tourism product with a focus on eco- and other nature-based tourism, Rahaman said he hoped it would not send an alarm through the sector. “I hope it will not have a negative impact on the industry.”
Pointing out that he was hard-pressed to keep the business going over the past three years because of the “current economic crisis” now coupled with the “crime crisis”, he said that apart from the decline in tourist arrivals to the country and to Baracara, the majority of Guyanese did not have the disposable income to make use of the resort even if they would like to.
He noted that prior to the decline in the economy three years ago, visitor arrivals and the increase in criminal activities, Whitewater Tours had been taking to Baracara resort during the peak season of August and September between 60 persons, two or three times a week, in the two jet boats the company owns.
During this August, for a three-week period only, he said the company had only been able to take two trips of 15 persons a week.
Because of the drop in visitors and the subsequent downtime in the use of the jetboats, he has had to put the larger of the two boats in storage. He said he has been trying to get the boat sold but no one was interested.
Rahaman also said that since he opened up the facility seven years ago, he has not done much repairs to the place and it now needs maintenance. The place, he said, was unable to pay for its own maintenance and that would have to be financed from income derived from other sources.
Two years ago, Cortours which managed the Wanatobo Resort on the Corentyne River folded. The Wanatobo Resort’s main product was eco-tourism.