PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar is fully behind the idea of using the Wedding Expo as a catalyst for promoting tourism in Guyana as he made his first appearance to the annual event that has been showcased for the past five years. The event slated for the period April 5 to 7 at Duke Lodge in Kingston features the best in furnishings at wedding reception halls, bride and groom attire and catering services.
President Ramotar called for the institution of marriage to be preserved and lauded the organisers for hosting such an event.
“These types of activities reflect the dynamism in society…it is good that we host these elegant events,” he stated.
The committee organising the event has this year selected an Albouystown, Georgetown couple in its ‘Race to the Altar’ promotion that see that couple’s entire wedding sponsored at Roraima Duke Lodge.
At the launch of the expo in late January, plans to establish partnerships with the Wedding Expo committee, Tourism Ministry, the Guyana Tourism Authority and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) were announced with the intention of facilitating training for event planners.
It was there that the acting Minister of Tourism Irfaan Ali highlighted a visionary concept of promoting Guyana’s unique tourism product via weddings, including the need to revise laws governing weddings in Guyana.
Although much of the uniqueness can be found in the country’s interior where biodiversity is rich, President Ramotar said Georgetown, the country’s capital, also has lots to offer.
The city has enough potential to be enlisted as a World Heritage Site, especially with the wealth of historic buildings and artifacts, President of Conservation International Russell Mittermeier had said during a visit to Guyana last year.
A unanimously agreed Parliamentary motion in March to spruce up the city will hopefully resolve the garbage situation and restore Georgetown to its former glory days as the garden city.
The hosting of the Wedding Expo was also seen by President Ramotar as evidence of a gradual shift from a time where priority was given to the need to acquire basic necessities to one where there is “glamour.”
He was more particularly moved by the bold step young couples are taking to “tie the knot” and start a family.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of the Roraima Group of Companies, Capt. Gerry Gouveia told the gathering, last Friday evening, that the event is targeted at strengthening marriages, boosting local tourism and promoting businesses. (GINA)