CWC systems test due today
Guyana Chronicle
March 20, 2007
THE complete systems test for Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 is due today at the National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara, as local tour operators seek to size up on their bookings for the thousands of visitors expected in the country.
Stadium Manager Mr. Anthony Xavier said all systems are to be tested today just as if an actual match was going on.
An International Cricket Council (ICC) CWC stadium manager Mr. Andrew Sharp is also in the country assisting with getting Guyana fully prepared.
Local tour operators are looking to cash in on the visitors coming for the Super Eight stage of the tournament which runs from March 28 to April 9.
Rainforest Tours, which accommodates trips to Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls and tourists resorts, say their bookings are “going fine” but are not of an “overwhelming number.”
Ms. Sabita Singh, who runs her business from the tour desk at Hotel Tower, Main Street, Georgetown said most of the bookings she has are from returning Guyanese.
She said the rest of the bookings are from visitors who will come from England, the United States and the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Jamaica. Singh said Rainforest Tours is looking to further bookings once the tourists arrive.
Mr. Tony Thorne, Managing Director of Wilderness Explorers, said he is disappointed with the numbers too, as they are not what he expected. However, he too hopes that the tours would come in once the visitors touch down as the airlines and hotels are reporting they are fully booked.
Wilderness Explorers offers day trips to the resorts and particularly the interior hotspots including Rock View Lodge, the Iwokrama Rainforest and Karanambo Ranch.
Thorne said the March-April period is usually the busiest for his business, but his customers have held back because of cricket, mainly because air tickets and hotel accommodation have become more expensive.
Mr. Abdul Ba of Evergreen Adventures, which owns the Baganara Island Resort in the Essequibo River, said the bookings are not as expected, but he also expects these to pick up once the visitors arrive.
He said most of his advanced bookings are from returning Guyanese.