Environmental impact a key consideration in Kaieteur Falls tourism infrastructural development
Stabroek News
December 8, 2006
The Kaieteur Falls
Private sector proposals to develop tourism infrastructure in the region of Guyana's world-renowned Kaieteur Falls are being carefully considered against the backdrop of the importance of preserving the eco-system of the area, Executive Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority Indira Anandjit told Stabroek Business recently.
According to Anandjit some proposals had been made by private businessmen to develop accommodation and other tourist facilities in the falls area by developments that could compromise the delicate environment.
While the issue of improving the support tourism infrastructure in the Kaieteur area including the renovation of the existing Guest House has long been the subject of discourse in the tourism sector Anandjit said that it was important that any development plans for the area take account of the possible impact of mass tourism on the area.
Anandjit said that while the current focus was on promoting Guyana as a tourist destination it was clear that the environmental impact of mass tourism had to be taken account of in the development of the industry. "We have been careful to ensure that the groups that have visited the falls have been limited in size to around ten persons and that has to do both with our concern about the impact of mass tourism as well as with the fact that we do not have the infrastructure to support greater numbers of visitors," Anandjit said. Figures provided by the GTA indicate that last year 2690 visitors travelled to the Kaieteur Falls. For this year so far 2,373 visitors have seen the world-famous waterfall.
The Kaieteur National Park which covers an area of 242 square miles was established in 1929. The area is home to a number of rare and endangered species as well as a unique landscape and forest types.
Past its prime: The Kaieteur Guest House
Among the rare species of birds that have been sighted in the area are the Cock-of-The-Rock and White Collared and Scissors-tailed Swifts. The area also provides a home for the equally rare Golden Frog which has made its home in the intermediate area of the falls.
Anandjit told Stabroek Business that one of the challenges for the country's tourism sector in the future lies in ensuring that the delicate balance of this pristine environment is maintained and reaping the economic benefits from Kaieteur as a tourist attraction.