EU to fund tourism authority building -- chess hall identified
By Miranda La Rose
The European Union is to fund, to the tune of 100,000 Euros, the renovation of the Chess Association Hall on Main Street to accommodate the soon-to-be established Tourism Authority. Rehabilitation work is to start shortly. President Bharrat Jagdeo made the announcement at the opening of the tourism extravaganza 'Main Big Lime' outside the Bank of Guyana building yesterday morning. He congratulated the organisers who were able to successfully get the event underway. He thanked former minister of trade, tourism and industry, Michael Shree Chan who first mooted the idea and who along with University of Guyana lecturers Donald Sinclair and Al Creighton developed it. By the time the one-day activity was officially declared open shortly after 1000 hrs by Jagdeo the 'Big Lime' was already in motion with booths displaying their offers for eco and cultural tourism which included local rhythms, cuisine, beverages, art and craft. At midday the street fete was in full swing with the Chinese, Colombians, Venezuelans, Surinamese and Cubans adding an international flavour to the setting. Jagdeo said that EU funding for the authority was confirmed at the just-concluded Fifth Joint Meeting of the Executive Committee of CARIFORUM in Santo Domingo. He also said that government had agreed to house and fund the tourism authority for a period to be agreed on. Government, he said, has also identified an advisory committee on the identification, mapping and development of tourism locations as outlined in a report submitted by Major General Joe Singh. The advisory committee will comprise representatives of various government ministries, private sector bodies and civil society. Noting that the cultural heritage of a people is integral to tourism, Jagdeo said that the Main Big Lime is the precursor to the festive season and Mashramani which will follow next year. This sentiment was shared by several people on the street with whom Stabroek News subsequently spoke and who felt that the Main Big Lime was an "instant hit". They also felt that it should be held annually. Declaring that plans are in train to make Mashramani next year one of the biggest the country has ever witnessed, Jagdeo assured the public that government will give the activity its full support "beyond what any government has done in the past" so that this could be a tourist attraction geared for citizens and visitors to the country alike. Mashramani, he said, "will be redefined in our effort to fuse tourism month [November], Christmas and Mashramani into one cultural symphony as was suggested by a leading tourism expert." To make Mashramani a big event, he has asked Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Gail Teixeira, to arrange a planning session where the government, the private sector and past organisers of this event can work together to make the event the biggest ever. Jagdeo recently granted additional concessions to some persons in the music industry for the establishment of music studios in Guyana. He expressed the hope that with copyright legislation soon to be passed in the National Assembly and together with the concessions granted these "can quickly cause the sector to move and we can expect an explosion of local music." Additional tax incentives, he said, would be given to leading investments in tourism to stimulate growth in the sector. Speaking of the Main Big Lime, Jagdeo said that he saw it as having the potential to develop its own identity. The government, he said, will help as much as it can by giving policy coordinating and other support for the event to be a true Guyanese occasion. He said that there was no doubt that such events help to create a better environment for the development of the tourism sector. The early response of hundreds of people milling about Main Street, he said, was "enough evidence to prove that people are anxious to come together to ease tensions that frequently frustrate our minds... The interactive nature of these events is what will forge our quest for common national objectives. It may be the way to go as we sell our tourism product, first to our own country men and women and then to our overseas visitors." Noting that the gathering represented a fusion of cultures and races, he said that the display of cultural forms by Guyanese and the country's Latin American neighbours at State House last evening was the debut of the millennium celebrations. Also speaking at the opening was newly-appointed Minister of Trade, Tourism and Industry, Geoffrey Da Silva, who noted the support of the private sector and civil society in organising and participating in the event. City Mayor Hamilton Green also addressed the gathering.
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