SEVEN Trinidadians who spent a week exploring the natural beauty of Guyana were the guests of honour at a farewell cocktail reception hosted at Duke Lodge last Tuesday evening. CEO of Roraima Holdings, Gerry Gouveia, speaking to the press, said the Roraima Group of Companies had been marketing its tourism product in Trinidad, but it was the first time the Group had a group of Trinidadians book a tour package and come to Guyana for seven days.

“For the first time, you had real, ordinary Trinidadians coming to Guyana specifically for tourism.”

Touting the services offered by Roraima, Gouveia said there was a sense of synergy as he noted the seamlessness between the hotels, planes, boats and resort.

As he described the experience, he said the tourists, upon arrival at the airport, were collected in a tour bus and put in a boat, after which they spent two nights at Arrowpoint (resort), where they experienced kayaking, mountain biking, and so on.

Next, they were taken on a tour of the city, to the mangrove project on the East Coast. The next day, the tourists went by plane to Kaieteur Falls, then they went on to North Rupununi to Annai, then by vehicle to the canopy walkway, then to an overnight stay in Amerindian Village Surama, then out by plane to Baganara, where they overnighted, then across the mighty Essequibo to Parika, where they were driven across the Harbour Bridge.

Gouveia said the experience showed how it was possible to highlight a positive side of Guyana, and how other people could appreciate Guyana.

He lauded Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali for doing a great job and launching in Trinidad a tourism programme which is starting to bear fruit.
One member of the group, Surindra Solomon from Chaguanas, said he and the other tourists had travelled the Caribbean extensively and had experienced the sun, sand and sea; but were looking for a holiday with a difference. “We thought Guyana and most of its entire interior would provide that difference. The interior is largely unexplored, and just coming to Georgetown didn’t cut it.

“When we came here, it was a unique experience. We left Piarco at 6:30 hrs, and by 9:00 hrs, we were in the jungle going to Arrowpoint Resort. It was a unique experience, lots of activities, and I like how they incorporated using solar energy.”

Solomon said the visit surpassed expectations. He described it as a “top-of-the-line vacation”. He said one of the areas that the group found striking was the Amerindian culture, which they from Trinidad did not know much about.