Guyana’s foray into bone fide tourism was recently given a boost within a fortnight by two developments – one from abroad and one from home. The first one, “from foreign”, as my Caribbean brethren would term it, came with the international media noting Guyana being included on the National Geographic magazine’s list of “top 21 countries to visit” worldwide. The rating, obviously building for a while, was likely cemented following the recent visit of the National Geographic’s Explorer cruise ship to Guyana, and it was quite an achievement. Handled locally by Wilderness Explorers here, that National Geographic high-end excursion into Guyana, centering around the Essequibo River, created powerful ripples in that very specialized sector of the travel market, and the consequent choice of our country on the magazine’s select list constitutes promotion we could never afford to buy. It not only advertises the content aspect of Guyana’s tourism potential, but does it in a way, and in a vehicle, that also establishes the worth of the product, its uniqueness. It is a development that must be a shot in the arm for the persons, in private business or public push, involved in the tourism sector.
Less publicized outside, the other boost occurred here with a ground-breaking event last week, initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, that offered a night of sightseeing, dining and entertainment on the historic Fort Island in the Essequibo. Held in December, despite the inherent risk of some rain showers,
