– local tour operators assess tourism sites
With the aim of boosting tourism opportunities in the mining town, tour operators from across the country were given a first-hand look at the Linden community during a reconnaissance visit last Friday, organised by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA).
Various sites within the community were visited during the tour of both Wismar and Mackenzie. Representatives from the GTA were present and actively involved in the activity. Tour operators: Salvador de Caires of Wilderness Explorers, Jamal Thomas of Evergreen Adventures and Mark McCall of Tours R Us, were also part of the visiting team.
GTA Product Development Officer Hadoc Thompson explained that the aim was to ascertain the tourism potential of the Linden community, so that local operators would be able to successfully organise community tours.
“We want tour operators to start packaging tours for Linden, offering tours for Linden. So that’s the whole synopsis of this trip – promoting Linden. Linden is on show right now. Our main objective is to get persons coming to Linden… We hope that the touristic potential of Linden would be ascertained by these (tour) operators, hopefully that they start offering tours to this location. The Guyana Tourism Authority is very committed to developing community-based tourism…” he said.
Following visits to the Linden Museum, Hymara Park, Richmond Hill and Watooka Complex, among numerous others, leaders within the community were given the opportunity to highlight the tourism potential of the community, while tour operators shared their views during a briefing at the Watooka Complex, Mackenzie.
Speaking at the event, Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland expressed delight that there was such interest in the tourism potential of what he described as the beautiful, untapped Linden community. The Mayor alluded to the many natural clear springs, rivers, trails, blue lakes and fishing spots. He explained that the Demerara River, which runs through the community, is a product in itself.
“I’m always boastful that our town is one of the best places to visit. This is the place where many things started… There’s something unique about Linden. When you come to Linden you would recognise that there are so many things that are untouched,” Holland told those present.
He went on to describe the picturesque beauty of areas such as Richmond Hill, while relating that there were homes in that area which offer bed and breakfast services. Apart from that, Holland made reference to the many mountains to climb, as he suggested that a day tour for tourists would be the ultimate experience.
The Mayor said too that already a visitor from Miami has expressed interest in building a four-star hotel in Linden. He said numerous sites in the community were already explored to ascertain which would be best.
“I think our potential is great… I recently had a team from the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) visit Linden and I took them on a tour. They were amazed. In fact, ‘fat pork’ picking is a big thing… they were so amazed that it could be used to make wine. And it’s all found right here in Linden,” he said.
The Mayor further alluded to the hospitable nature of Lindeners and what he described as the low crime rate.
Sports tourism potential
The Linden Mayor also spoke of the potential of the community to drive tourism through sports.
“Sports is so much embedded in us that we continue to excel. We’ve won the National Schools Athletics Championship for a record number of years, 15 to date, and we have excellent world-class athletes… I just want to thank you for giving us an opportunity to tell you more about Linden,” he concluded.
Invitation to explore other parts of the Region
Meanwhile, Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adolph invited all to visit Kwakwani, another part of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) which he deemed the safest place in Guyana. Adolph said the area was usually visited by persons from all across the world. He noted that the people were very hospitable and the scenery was amazing.
“It’s a very beautiful place to go. We also have blue lakes where people go to get married, engaged, parties. Also, we have the Berbice River where people go fishing. There’s also the beach where persons go to play cricket when the tide is low. Down the Berbice River, we also have Fort Nassau where persons go to tour the Dutch site,” Adolph noted, while he also extended an invitation for the touring group to visit other neighbouring areas such as Aroaima and Hururu.
