‘LE LEVANT’, the second cruise ship for 2011 to grace these shores was welcomed by officials from the Ministry of Tourism and The Guyana Tourism Authority as it docked at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) wharf yesterday.
As the French cruise ship arrived, the welcome committee, including Director of Guyana Tourism Authority, Mr. Indranauth Haralsingh; Coordinator of National and Other Events at the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Avalon Jagnandan; representatives from Wilderness Explorers; and members of the media were invited on board to interact with the crew and passengers.
While there, Haralsingh pointed out that over the last couple of years, Guyana has been visited more frequently by a number of cruise ships, including the ‘Saga Pearl’, which was here only last month.
“We are very very happy that this ship is here in Guyana, and added to this, we are expecting another vessel on April 4,” he announced.
Noting that ‘Le Levant’ was just the right size of vessel for our waterways, since it is much smaller than those that came a-calling previously, in that it can be easily navigated, Haralsingh said: “This is a small cruise vessel, with a small number of passengers, but is tailor-made for off-the-beaten-path destinations of the world.”
In a continued effort to boost the country’s capacity to welcome more vessels, he highlighted that several private sector companies are currently attending a cruise expo being held in Miami, which experience will help to further promote the industry and pave the way for us to have more scheduled trips to the country.
Lauding the teamwork of the agents and all those who collaborated to ensure that each cruise ship’s visit is successful, Haralsingh said: “This is the way that the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad wants us to continue to work, so that Guyana can be more accessible  to cruise ships.”
As to the implications of stronger collaborative efforts among stakeholders in the tourism industry, he explained that this will ensure that we will become more popular as a destination of choice for cruise liners.
“We also continue to receive yachts, and we are becoming more and more known as a cruise destination, and we hope that you will continue to put Guyana on your catalogue and will continue to promote and market our destination,” he told the Captain of ‘Le Levant’, adding that even though the passengers will only be treated to a city tour, he is confident they will enjoy the city and culture.
In response, the captain, Van Danne Rogers explained that this is the ship’s first voyage to Guyana, and he is excited to hear the feedback from the passengers when they return from their city excursions.
“Our company,” he said, “is going to many places in the world, including Europe, Canada, the Amazon and the Caribbean, and for myself, it is the first time that I am arriving in your country, and I am very proud to bring the ship here.”
Captain Rogers said that after the passengers would have related their experiences and impressions, a report will then be sent to the tour operators here, Wilderness Explorers.
The maximum capacity of the ship is 99 persons, but the cruise, which has been conducted in the off-season, only has a passenger count of 34.
But the company is not overly worried about this significant shortfall in numbers. Said the captain, “Despite this number, the passengers were all excited about coming to the destination and exploring the city during the short time they will be here, and I am sure that they will have a good time.”
Captain Rogers said the next stop on their itinerary is Suriname, and noted that when the ship returns for another visit, preparations will be put in place to extend the time spent here.
While on board, Haralsingh presented the Captain with an information package about ‘Destination Guyana’ to add to the ship’s library.
The first cruise ship slated to call here for 2011, the ‘MV Saga Pearl 2’, arrived on February 6 with 352 passengers on board.
It departed Southampton in England for a 77-night journey, which took passengers across the Atlantic, calling on nearly 20 islands and Guyana in the Caribbean, before sailing along the Amazon.
While welcoming the passengers and crew at that time, Minister Prashad had noted that the ‘Saga Pearl’ was  the first cruise ship to arrive for the year with  at least four others expected by the end of April.
“The ships have started to come early this year, and we feel that it was the marketing strategy used during the international trade shows and especially at the World Travel Market in London, that contributed to this,” he’d said.