GUYANA has been touted ad nausem as a country with great potential, but that potential has never been realised.

Newly sworn Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, said this will be a prime focus of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, with greater attention being paid to improving lives in the hinterland.

Speaking at the launch of Air Services Limited (ASL) tour packages for Lethem to Bom Fin and Brazil and Kaieteur Falls, on Friday last, the minister said emphasis will be placed on education and development in these parts of Guyana.
During the recently concluded General and Regional Elections campaign, Bulkan travelled extensively in Regions 8 and 9, taking the message of the APNU+AFC coalition. In total, he visited some 36 villages.
Describing the natural environment of these two Regions as scenic and spectacular, the minister related that the natural beauty and the standard of living of the people there tell different stories.
One is a pristine natural environment which is much to celebrate, while the other is of people living in poverty with limited job opportunities and communities crying out for much-needed development.

The launch of the ASL tour packages, he said, is a useful step to promote development in the hinterland. With proper utilisation of natural resources and investment in sustainable, long-term projects, he said the lives of people in remote areas will be transformed.
According to the minister, it is disheartening that Guyana has more natural resources than many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, but has been unable to profit from them as those countries.
Using Costa Rica as an example, he said that country has developed a thriving tourism industry, reporting that in 2013 it had earned some US$2.4 billion from the sector.
“In that very year, total exports of all of Guyana’s exports and this includes gold, diamond, bauxite, sugar, rice, timber, fishing and forestry did not even reach US$1 billion,” he said, pointing out that Guyana can rake in this sum as it has a superior tourism product.
GOOD PARTNER
On that score, the minister commended ASL for its contributions to the tourism sector, pointing out that a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step, and the company is a partner on the journey to transform the tourism sector.
President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Shaun McGrath, hailed the new tour packages as unique, noting that it will further open up Guyana as a tourism destination.
“The tour that originates from Lethem will allow many Brazilian operators to offer Kaieteur flights to their clients for the very first time, so this is a fantastic opportunity for Guyana in this new market as it will give them a taste of what Guyana has to offer and potentially lead to increased interest and demand for a total Guyana product,” he said.
The initiative was also seen as a first step towards regional integration, and as a means to attracting more Brazilians to Guyana.
The Lethem Day Tour costs some $48,000 per person. For the first time, both domestic and international visitors will have the opportunity to tour Lethem in one day.
ASL aircraft will depart the Ogle Airport at 07:00 hrs and arrive at Lethem at 08:30 hrs. A bus will take visitors on a tour of the Lethem township and then over the Takutu Bridge across the border to a shopping centre in the Brazilian border township of Bom Fin.
Upon returning to Lethem, the bus will continue on a half-hour journey through the scenic savannahs and Amerindian villages of St Ignatius and Kumu, before arriving at the base of the Kanuku Mountains, one of the national protected areas in Guyana.
A five-minute trek along the trail which passes through the forest and over streams will take visitors to the beautiful Kumu Falls.
Visitors will have the opportunity to take in the rugged beauty of the waterfall or immerse themselves in the pool below for an unforgettable water massage. They will return by bus to the airstrip at Lethem and depart at 13:00 hrs for arrival at the Ogle Airport at 14:30 hrs.

By Tajeram Mohabir