More top class hotels likely
-- President announces
By Mark Ramotar
Guyana Chronicle
December 29, 2006
THE current boom in the development and construction of classy hotels in Guyana is expected to continue as the government is in discussion with a few large overseas companies to establish additional hotels here, President Bharrat Jagdeo said yesterday.
There has been a significant boom in the construction of hotels in Guyana, especially in anticipation of the much need accommodation for the major Cricket World Cup (CWC) tournament to be hosted here in April next year .
“If you think that the hotels that are being built today for World Cup Cricket 2007 that that would be the end of the hotel construction process (then you are wrong) because there are others who have seen the possibility of even making more money from further hotel development, and I am speaking about larger groups from overseas,” the President told reporters.
Noting that Guyana’s hosting of the Cricket World Cup tournament in 2007 will be the “biggest boost to the tourism industry in Guyana ever”, the President said the tourism industry has the potential to overtake many of the traditional sectors in terms of revenue and foreign currency earned and employment creation.
Noting several hotels are being built today that will increase the stock of good quality rooms in the country, the President said the establishment of several new and quality hotels will significantly aid in the development of the fledgling tourism industry.
“We have had a limited number of good quality rooms (with most of them largely at Le Meridien Pegasus hotel in Georgetown) and this has limited our ability to host major international events and even meetings,” Mr. Jagdeo told reporters.
The President declared that that scenario is “going to change”.
“I am not just speaking about the Casique Palace Hotel or the Buddy’s International hotel (currently under construction) but there are tens of small hotels that are going up around the country but sometimes we lose sight of what is taking place all around us and especially around the city.”
The President also stressed that CWC 2007 should be seen as more than just an event, given the global magnitude and attraction of the event ranked as the world’s third major sporting event.
“I think CWC could and never should be seen as just an event (but) as an event that allows us to give a boost to a fledgling industry that has significant potential,” he said.
Alluding to the fears by many persons about the future of these hotels going up after the CWC event, the President said his personal feeling is that “they will do well if we have good marketing” and as the tourism market grows.
He also slammed the “big controversy raging” about the government’s assistance to Casique and Buddy’s as nothing but “very narrow minded” negativity being peddled by some in society, including a particular newspaper.
President Jagdeo also lamented the seeming preference being given to foreigners by the local banking system. He lashed out at hotels such as Le Meridien Pegasus for taking away all the money it makes in Guyana without reinvesting here.
“The Le Meridien Pegasus makes a ton of money, they have a monopoly on the market, the rooms are atrocious, they are not reinvesting in the country, they kill the market and they take all the money abroad…” he declared.
He recalled the first time that the hosting of CWC came on the horizon and he met a small group of people who listed all the reasons why Guyana should not play host to the CWC tournament and then he met another team who said they would get the stadium constructed but didn’t have the money.
“…today we are as prepared as many of the other countries that have had blossoming tourism industries and fairly decent stadia like the one in St. Lucia,” he said, adding, “if we had listened to those people, we would never be hosting World Cup cricket here.”
He explained that part of the compulsory requirements to host the tournament was that 450 to 500 good quality rooms must be available for officials and teams.
“These rooms have to be there for you to get the chance to host CWC (but) when we looked around Guyana, we didn’t have those and that is why it is so critical that the Buddy’s International Hotel and the Casique Palace Hotel are completed,” the President said.
“We made a commitment that we will have these rooms ready and this is why we will work with those two hotels…we will assist them to be ready for World Cup cricket,” he declared.
The President also lauded the proprietors of the two hotels for taking the risk and still going ahead and investing, despite the negativity being peddled.
“It takes courage for people like Beverley and Buddy’s, that in spite (of) all this negativity to go forward with their projects. I must say that these people are true pioneers; not the doomsayers and those who constantly see negatives,” the President declared.
The Buddy’s International Hotel is almost completed and committed efforts are under way to complete the exquisitely-designed Casique Palace hotel being constructed just behind Buddy’s and next to the Guyana National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara before the end of January 2007, according to owner Ms. Beverley Arthur.