– Much dedication and sacrifice involved

DEVELOPING a tourism package for Santa Rosa in the Moruca sub-region is a top priority for the tourism committee that was installed lately in the village; with its members working tirelessly, even with their personal resources, to pull off the effort.

Those heading the committee are convinced that developing tourism is the way to go when it comes to preserving traditional knowledge, complementing residents’ livelihoods, and showcasing the beautiful features and attractions that are present in the villages across Region One.

Although the core body of the committee has been established, it is still in the process of getting fully organised and functional. There is a lot of work to do, but what keeps the team going is the positive response it has been getting from residents so far as developing tourism is concerned.

“Residents are usually very excited when we ask them to tell us about their village. We can see the excitement when we ask them about their unusual creeks or rock formation, and when they think about the fact that people will be passing through their village,” committee chairperson Marcus Atkinson expressed in an interview with Pepperpot a few days ago.

The 27-year-old moved back to Santa Rosa Village after completing school in Essequibo and doing a couple of jobs in Mahdia and Georgetown. But he’s settled in Moruca now, especially as he appreciates the low crime rate there, along with the peace and quiet.

According to him, the main goal of the tourism committee is to explore opportunities that can assist in strengthening the livelihoods of residents while preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the village. In doing this, many elderly ones are being engaged with so that their knowledge can be well documented for historical purposes.

“Because we have a big village, we have to do assessments in 12 different areas to find out what type of natural features and attractions are available there that could complement our tourism package. We’re moving slowly because of COVID, but we’re visiting areas, taking pictures and talking to residents,” Marcus explained.

Persons in the village are available and ready to be service providers as soon as the package becomes a reality. “We have a lot of work to do. It takes a lot of time, dedication and sacrifice to move between the areas. Transportation is a major challenge, along with getting the necessary equipment to use. We don’t have such equipment, so we basically have to use our personal stuff at the moment,” he related.

Marcus also spoke about the importance of residents getting more training in tourism. He is especially grateful for the quality-service training that was done recently which saw 12 villagers benefitting, and is looking forward to November, that month being Tourism Month.

Marcus is currently using his time to develop projects that will raise awareness about tourism in his village. He also works in capacity building for the Moruca District Council, which is made up of toshaos from all the villages in the sub-region. “I want to see things working out in the village. I want to see things streamlined and functioning; that the village has everything sorted out.”

Apart from this, he loves to explore the village. “I do mountain biking which is something that I really enjoy. It’s very exciting, very adventurous. We went to check potential bike trails recently for tourism within the village. The roads need some work but it was really fun,” he shared.

While the village can be explored by boat, many places can also be reached through roads.