The MS Vista Mar at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation Wharf
The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) renewed its call for cruise liners across the world to truly explore the wonders of Guyana. The call was made when the luxurious MS Vista Mar docked at port Georgetown at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation Limited (GNSC) wharf last Sunday afternoon after sailing from Brazil where the cruise commenced on January 27.
In the absence of acting Tourism Minister Irfan Ali, GTA Director Indranauth Haralsingh during a courtesy visit, welcomed the captain of the cruise liner, Alfio Bizzi and his team to the land of many waters. The director however admonished the captain to champion the cause for cruise liners to spend an extensive period in Guyana, rather than a few hours.
“We are very glad that the vessel has chosen Guyana again, it was here two years ago and for you a personal welcome to Guyana, but what we would like though is if this vessel could come more often and perhaps stay longer so that the visitors would have the opportunity to cover much more of what Guyana has to offer”.
Although the capital city is filled with beautiful and exciting places to explore, Haralsingh believes that visitors should be given the opportunity to explore other unforgettable tourist destinations that are hidden outside the Garden City.
“We have Kaieteur Falls, the longest single drop waterfalls in the world, we have the forest that they could see as well, trips to the Essequibo River, the Essequibo River is the third largest river in South America, lots of wild life, birds.”
Meanwhile, Captain Bizzi said that while it feels great to be in Guyana for the first time, he was a bit worried when the ship was venturing into the country.”I must be honest, fantastic place but sometime, I was a little bit worried about depth, especially after the accident.”
The GTA and Wilderness Explorer, the core facilitator of the tour to Guyana, presented the cruise ship and its captain with a collection of artifacts depicting various aspects of Guyana, in addition to a tour guide in the form of a book. Media operatives, members of Wilderness Explorer and the GTA toured the remarkable cruise ship, visiting the many sections such as the classy dining room and built-in restaurant that caters for more than 200 persons. From the top of the ship, the sounds of local music was heard as the visiting friends stood in amusement while tasting local beverages produced by Banks DIH and other Beverage companies.
The MS Vista Mar is the first cruise liner to arrive in Guyana for 2012. After spending several hours in Guyana on Sunday, the ship departed at the rise of the tide. It is expected to sail to Grenada and other Caribbean countries.
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