PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Ramotar last evening was special guest at a cocktail reception held in honour of a visiting Barbadian delegation, and hosted by Roraima Airways and the Guyana Tourism Authority, at the Duke Lodge, Kingston. In his brief address to the gathering, Ramotar extended a warm welcome to Minister Richard Sealy and his delegation, and invited them to visit and take advantage of the tremendous tourism potentials Guyana has to offer, including the majestic Kaieteur Falls, the magnificent mountain ranges, some of the ‘more than 365 islands’ of the mighty Essequibo River and the colourful and breath-taking flora and fauna.
Excited about the Essequibo River, surpassed in splendour only by the Amazon and the Orinocco Rivers, Ramotar said, “If you want to see a mighty river, you certainly should see the Essequibo.”
He said he hoped that some of the group of more than 100 persons will take the opportunity to go down the Essequibo River, and they will find what Guyana has to offer so fascinating that they will want to come back.
Managing Director of Roraima Airways, Captain Gerald Gouveia, and Minister of Tourism Manniram Prashad also joined in welcoming the group to Guyana, pointing out some of the things the two countries have in common, including being joint winners of the Sustainable Tourism Award. Captain Gouveia invited the group to return to Guyana for the Sustainable Award to be held in Guyana in April 2012, an occasion he anticipates will be bigger than World Cup Cricket.
The Barbados delegation is headed by Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy.
Responding to the warm sentiments, Minister Sealy thanked the President-Elect and their Guyanese hosts. Sealy said they felt very honoured to have in their midst Guyana’s President-Elect, just hours before he is due to be sworn in as President of the Cooperative Republic.
Said Sealy, “We feel the genuine welcome extended to us, but tonight is very significant, for the President- Elect has graciously found the time to be with us.”
He said the Guyanese hosts have touched his delegation in a special way, adding that their experience here will remain indelibly etched in their minds.