THE mining town of Linden has been categorised as a prospective World Tourism Destination by a representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The announcement was made at a recently held World Tourism Summit in Chonqing, China that was attended by Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland and Regional Chairman Renis Morian.
In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Mayor Holland said that he was amused to see Linden’s rich scenic beauty and natural picturesque landscape and majestic sandy hills being featured in the presence of international leaders.
The city of Chonqing is now on the verge of twinning with Linden, to not only develop its untapped tourism gems. Also highlighted were the natural rock springs that are located in China and used to captivate tourists. There are several of these natural springs available in Linden and Mayor Holland is looking to take a pattern of the way China developed their springs as a means of bringing in revenue through tourism. “China utilised those natural springs as one aspect of their tourist attractions. If you examine the natural springs, they have the limestone rock that contains chemicals to clean your skin, and they have built a pool around it and persons would pay just to go in there and bathe, so that is one way we can utilise and promote our springs because we have many, even better than those in China that we can turn into such spots,” Holland explained.
With Linden’s vast sandy hills and splendid clay mountains, the Mayor is looking to invest in these areas via air car operations, where tourists and visitors can pay to fly over, for a view of what has been left after decades of bauxite mining. The air cars will overlook the beautiful blue lake and surrounding scenery that are often used for photo shoots and local movie shoots. The municipality is also communicating with a Guyanese Hollywood actor to sell Linden’s touristic scenes to Hollywood for movie shoots.
Also available for tourism are several jungle trails where tourists can get a glimpse of the various species of exotic flora and fauna. Communities such as Buck Town, Rockstone and Malali can also be developed as tourism destinations. With Region 10 being the only region with the three main rivers passing through, Holland is of the opinion that these tranquil waterways in addition to the black water creeks and springs can also be used to develop tourism. “We have beautiful waterways. If you look at the Demerara river at nights you would see the beauty of that river. We are looking for someone to invest into a boat that could be used for cruises. Persons would pay and have food and music at nights, like a mini cruise, so that is what we are looking to develop for the river,” the Mayor said.
The municipality is also mulling the establishment of a heritage site where Linden’s rich history and heritage will be showcased. “The heritage site will form part of our tourism package where persons can flock in the thousands to take pictures and to indulge in our rich history and attraction of the waterways. Persons must be able to find that connection with their heritage,” he said. Holland revealed that the city of Chongqing has also committed to assisting in whatever way so as to have these goals materialize.
With Linden being easily accessible from the city and interior locations; with its low crime rate, hospitable residents, adequate accommodation and a plethora of choices to indulge in nature, Holland is of the opinion that with local and international support to develop Linden’s tourism potential, Linden in a few years can become a member of the World’s Tourism Cities Federation. This way, Linden will not only be attractive to tourists but to investors as well.