“I’m enthusiatic about the development of tourism here because I see a future for Guyana in tourism. My dream is to open Guyana to Russian tourists as well.” - Russian Charge d’affaires, Dr. Valentin Parkhomenko

“Russians like to swim in natural environments. I find pleasure in this myself; my staff just dreams of going to some clean place on the Atlantic Ocean where they can plunge in the water to swim.”

Said Russian Charge d’Affaires, the brains behind this novel idea, Dr. Valentin Parkhomenko earlier this month: “…Guyana is rich in ecotourism opportunities and resources and… the ‘63 Beach’ may play a major part in this tourism attraction.”

Why ‘63 Beach’?
“Because it is clean; really clean. There is no additional financing for its cleaning,” the Russian diplomat offered.

All it needs in its present almost pristine state, he said, is constant maintenance to rid it of the occasional debris that comes with the tide, and to deter littering; a few installations here and there; some portable shops; washrooms etc. and certainly a new government rest house, in place of the old one that has now fallen into decay.

And, with the proposed bridging of the Berbice River, he averages it will cut back on time spent travelling by some “two and a half hours to reach this place,” particularly for those coming from Georgetown and further west.

But what is it about this close to six-mile stretch of beach, its sands the colour of burnished copper, that is so fascinating, and why does he think his people will cotton to it?

“The open waters,” he said. “Russians like to swim in natural environments. I find pleasure in this myself; my staff just dreams of going to some clean place on the Atlantic Ocean where they can plunge in the water to swim.”

It all began, this preoccupation of his with ‘63 Beach’, even before he arrived here almost a year ago to begin his tour of duty. Said he, barely able to contain his excitement: “I’d been told by my colleagues at home in Moscow prior to my coming here that there is a very still strip of ocean whose waters are free of mud and clean enough to enjoy a good swim.”

`Time’s ripe; I must go’
Then, when he arrived here, the locals confirmed “that there is such a beach, and that it is close to the Surinamese border on the Corentyne River.”

Yet still, he had this hankering, “a cherished dream” as he put it, “to go and see for myself.” He’d also promised himself that after his “successful trip,” he would one day take his staff for a day out on the beach “so that they can swim in a real ocean.”

But more pressing matters were to cause him to shelve these plans for a while, until recently, when he decided: “Time’s ripe; I must go.” Then, by some strange coincidence, an article appeared in the August 19 issue of the Sunday Chronicle about plans to develop ‘63 Beach’ into a tourist attraction.

This was the catalyst to a meeting two Thursdays ago with members of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce & Industry (UCCCI), the organisation behind the proposed development of the beach, and the fulfillment of a long-held dream. He was not to be disappointed.

Said he: “I’m… enthusiatic about the development of tourism here because I see a future for Guyana in tourism. My dream is to open Guyana to Russian tourists as well.”

An ardent follower of economic trends here, the Ukrainian-born envoy said while rice, sugar and bauxite are all excellent local products, they, however, need preferential markets to perform well internationally.

“But with tourism, there are no preferences. If everything is put properly, people will come, because this is a very nice Caribbean country. It has much better opportunities than even our islands, lovely as they are.”

In his humble opinion, not only is Guyana rich in natural resources, but in tourism resources as well, particularly eco-tourism. All it needs is to be properly packaged, as the UCCCI has promised it would.

Noting that the idea to bring Russians here as tourists was nothing new; that initial plans some years ago were shelved due to technical and other difficulties, Parkhomenko said when he goes on vacation shortly, he will be taking with him photographs and video materials some colleagues from the embassy shot during a visit to the Kaieteur Falls, and the Sunday Chronicle article among others, to a television station experienced in promoting just tourism.

What he has in mind, he said, is to bring a television team here to take footage of the Kaieteur Falls, “…. this beach 63”, a few resorts and such other places of industrial and historical interest, so that they may be able to put together a properly-packaged documentary about Guyana for its Russian audience.

Noting that the prospect of acquiring a hydrofoil from Russia also arose during his discussions with the UCCCI, Parkhomenko said he will do what he can to facilitate the group, not only with this venture, but in other commercial areas in which it has expressed an interest as well, such as tyres, steel and a return to these shores of Russian-made cars and other vehicles.

The Chamber is to get back to him with a detailed written proposal following which he will take it from there.

He noted that while protocol forbids the Russian Embassy from being directly involved in the promotion of tourism here, it was willing to act as the catalyst in arousing public interest at home in Guyana.

“We’re willing to facilitate, to start this process,” he said.

A career diplomat by profession, Parkhomenko holds a Doctorate in American Foreign Policy. His first dream, he said, was to travel the world and see as many beaches, oceans, and new ports as he possibly could.

Today, he lives that dream, not through his own two sons, but his sister’s two boys who grew up to become commercial sailors.