Annual Wedding Expo is back!
–billed for Duke Lodge April 13-15
EVENTS such as the Annual Wedding Exposition, organized by Captain Gerald Gouveia, Managing Director of the Roraima Group of Companies, will contribute to building a tourism product that can withstand competition, and that will continue to propel Guyana’s tourism sector. Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister (ag) Irfaan Ali made this pronouncement on Wednesday, during the launch of the Fourth Annual Wedding Expo, to be held at Duke Lodge in Kingston, Georgetown from April 13 to 15.
According to Minister Ali, the event represents what has always been focal the point of the country’s tourism sector — Guyana’s rich cultural diversity.
He noted, too, that the Wedding Expo could be used as an opportunity to develop detailed wedding packages for both the local and international markets.
“Our culture has a unique way of supporting different kinds of marriages, and people these days tend to want to reconnect with traditional ways of doing things. There is a big push, where persons are trying to reconnect with their culture, to reconnect with traditions. This gives us the great advantage of fostering this,” he said.
For this initiative to be successful, Ali acknowledged, legislative changes are needed.
He said, “What we need to do is build the packages for seamless weddings.  Guyanese in the diaspora are interested in this, and this expo offers the opportunity to explore, in a more detailed way, wedding packages in Guyana. For this to be achieved, there needs to be legislative changes. We need to relook at the laws, to ensure that they support the development and economic agenda of what we seek to achieve through the exhibition. I can assure you it will be raised in the political arena.”
Alluding to the advantages of such an event, Tourism Minister Ali pointed out that small businesses participating in the event will use the opportunity to showcase their products; and, this year, they will have the added advantage of having all the players in the tourism sector attending the Wedding Expo, which will coincide with the conference on sustainable tourism.
Wedding Expo 2012 is usually held in March, but will be held in April this year, since it coincides with the Sustainable Tourism Conference scheduled for April 15.
In closing, he encouraged persons to recognize the important of the wedding expo, which he has economic and policy implications that can benefit the country if the potential of the event is harnessed.
Captain Gouveia, in his remarks, explained that the wedding exposition has grown into a fascinating display of cultural and religious diversity over the years.
He explained that the change in the date of the event was necessary to take advantage of the increased exposure that the STC Conference will offer.
The conference will see delegates from around the Caribbean visiting Guyana and while here, they will be exposed to the unique and diverse culture of Guyana.
Delegates and visitors will also be afforded the opportunity to visit the booths of exhibitors, displaying their wedding products and services.
Alluding to the role of sponsors in the success of the Wedding Expo, Captain Gouveia said, “It’s a display of all the small businesses and everything they have to showcase that is why I am happy that GT&T has come on board from day one. They have stood behind us and they are always ready to lend their support. In addition to this we have other sponsors who have helped to propel this event to where it is today.”
Vacation and honeymoon destinations such as Arrowpoint, Baganara and other tourist resorts are already part of the event, he added.
Continuing, he pointed to the fact that local law requires a person getting married in Guyana to be in the country 14 days prior to the wedding, in light of this, he  used the opportunity to urge legislators to review such regulations.
Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T) representative, Royston Rachpaul noted that the company has been there from the very first year, he said too that  the telecommunications giant supports any effort at thinking ‘outside the box’ in regards to promoting culture and tourism development.
This is the fourth wedding expo and organizers are expecting the event to be the biggest Guyana has seen so far.
Over 25 of the booths have already been reserved, and it is anticipated that the visitors to this year’s expo will be in for a greater display of quality wedding services.
The organizers are urging exhibitors to register early, as spaces are limited, with only 60 booths available.
The specialty exhibition was designed to enable showcasing of all the various services associated with weddings — which are not just limited to the engagement and honeymoon stages, but also includes issues pertaining to the acquisition of homes, household items and vehicles.