AS the various stakeholders continue to work to turn Guyana into a major tourism destination, the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce is currently completing a master plan for the Essequibo River that will focus on capacity and infrastructural development to further support that area as a massive tourism hub.

The strategic plan is for the development of both the Essequibo Coast and the Lower Essequibo, and involves the development of new tourism products and the expansion and improvement of existing ones. An assessment has been completed and identifying product priority is currently in progress.

Over the years, the ministry has been working to develop an Essequibo tourism circuit which includes parts of Regions Two, Three and Seven, and focuses on upgrades to several of the tourist sites that are located there.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond said that with the Essequibo River already boasting quite a number of tourism spots, the demand is already there.

She explained that given this fact, the focus of the master plan is to approach things in a structured way, build capacity and then market the destination for increased demand.

“We have hired a consultant that will help us to identify the products that will make it into a full circuit, so that when persons come to the Essequibo they experience the entire gamut of the Essequibo, Upper and Lower Essequibo and the entire surrounding regions,” Walrond related.

“The consultant will identify the experience in the master plan and then we will go into the village and we will carry out training. Of course, we get the village’s buy-in first, but they’ve all been receptive and we’ve been collaborating with them. So, we tell them this is the product that we’re going to launch and we get the villagers involved, and we train them, we educate them about what the experience will be like for the entire product-offering. So, for each of the offerings we will be going in and doing training, so then is when the entire product will be ready to be delivered to the tourist.”

The longest waterway in Guyana, the Essequibo River stretches for just over 1,000 kilometres from the Acarai Mountains near the Guyana/Brazil border, passing through forests and savannahs before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Parika.

The river contains 365 islands, which include eco-tourism hotspots such as Leguan, Wakenaam, Hogg Island, Fort Island — the former seat of the Dutch government — Sloth Island, and Parrot Island.

The Essequibo circuit includes the forts, several waterfalls such as the Baracara and Marshall Falls, and a number of tourist resorts in Bartica and the wider Essequibo River. Attractions along the river currently include Baganara Lodge/Island Resort, Saxacalli Beach, the Aruwai White H2O resort, Lake Mainstay and the Hurakabra Nature Resort.

A number of tour agencies in Guyana are currently offering the “Essequibo Day Tour,” which provides a day on the Essequibo River where persons can visit a few of the river’s attractions. The day tour is popular due to its affordability.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Kamrul Baksh, related that as the government looks to widen the Essequibo’s tourism product, the upskilling of the labour force is a priority.

“This will raise the bar of service and thus visitor satisfaction,” Baksh said.

Additionally, development of the master plan for the river will support the marketing and promotion of the experiences in the various locations. It will focus on key areas such as website development and social media marketing.

“The government will support the development of these products, so that travellers will have more choices and a high-quality, safe and sustainable experience. The tourism-related areas are also being addressed, including supporting infrastructure, tourism investment and services,” Baksh said.