THE proof of the pudding is truly in the eating, and stakeholders of the recently-concluded Guyana Cricket Carnival events surely did eat bountifully. “Stakeholders” is used here intentionally as opposed to “patrons”, as the events which followed President, Dr. Irfaan Ali’s announcement earlier this year of the dual events of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) games and the inaugural cricket carnival opened the door for many business interests, from micro to large, to grab their piece of the pie.

More than 31,000 arriving international passengers were recorded for September 2022 at the country’s main international airport at Timehri, according to the airport’s Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir. The influx was expected, and Guyana has, most exceptionally, risen to meet the challenge, and delivered a cricket experience that sets a very high bar for the next two years of CPL games here.

All of the statistics have not yet been compiled. From a cursory glance, however, the hospitality sector, especially hotels and catering services, received a much-needed boost, most notably as the world is still finding its way out of the ‘shadow period’ of the COVID-19 pandemic which significantly reduced mobility within and between countries, and ultimately devastated global tourism.

Guyana is diversifying its tourism product.

When we think about improving tourism potential of any country, security must be one of the most essential considerations. And on this point, attention must be turned to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), which performed beyond the call of duty to ensure that the major events of the cricket carnival season were largely incident-free.

Party-goers can definitely appreciate that many lessons were learned by the authorities from previous events.

Added to security considerations, however, the inclusion of the major road development connecting the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) with Mandela Avenue added an alternative route which made access to and from major venues like the Guyana National Stadium at Providence virtually effortless. In a previous editorial on a similar subject, this newspaper wrote that “a few hallmarks of good leadership are foresight, consistency, and quick, strategic action.” Surely, ample consideration was given to every level of the now-concluded festivities by the President Ali administration.

The pièce de résistance for the season was surely the Carnival Parade. This is the first time that the revelry would return to Guyana since the start of the pandemic two years ago. With many at home and abroad eager for the return of Mashramani-like celebrations, the sun-kissed revel through the streets of the capital was well attended by thousands. The costumed merrymakers flounced down the city roadways in feathered gear of varying kind. The Cricket Carnival feels like the moment all of Guyana waited for. The bar is set quite high for the upcoming years.