By Vanessa Braithwaite
IN its effort to push tourism in every region, the Ministry of Business, Department of Tourism, on Friday, oversaw the election of a new executive body of the Region 10 Tourism Association. The election was part of a General Stake Holders Meeting, hosted by Director-General of the Department of Tourism, Donald Sinclair, at the Watooka Guest House. It is an initiative being executed in all 10 regions, to push the agenda of regional tourism.

Being elected as chairman is Devin Sears, Co-Founder of the Kara Kayaking Tour Company, while Rawle Dundas, manager of the Watooka Guest House was elected as the vice-chairman. Other executives include Adrian Boston, secretary and Jeffery Yearwood, treasurer. Members were elected to represent sub-committees such as River Front Development, diaspora, sports and culture and marketing and media.

Newly-elected chairman, Devin Sears, said the main aim of the executive is to see Region 10 as a brand and to exert all energies to selling that brand.

“We have to look at Linden and Region 10 as a brand, what is it known for and how we are going to market it,” he said, while alluding to the region’s various tourism gems such as the sandy and clayey hills, the black water creeks, the three main rivers that straddle through, the blue lakes, the valleys and streams etc.

A plan will be created on how each gem will be marketed, not only for seasonal tourism activities such as the annual Rock Stone Fish Festival, but something that will be ongoing. This will create employment in the sector for youths, which is also a main aim of the association.

“We should not look at tourism as a one-month thing, it has to be a continuous effort; how we are going to promote it and to collaborate with organisations such as the Tourism Development Council. There is a wide variety when it comes to tourism in Region 10 but it is generally finding what each community has to offer and packaging and selling it,” Sears reasoned.

The first task for the association will be to establish a constitution and by-laws, as well as to complete a projected plan for 2020 and 2021. A database will be also be created to ascertain what is available in the entertainment industry, such as how many hotels and restaurants are available throughout the region.

These businesses will also be rated to determine the quality of services that will be offered to clients. In this way, Sears said it will be setting the stage for outside markets. The association will also place emphasis on sports, edutainment and entertainment tourism.