Rupununi chamber in moves to...

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our own support in the Rupununi.”

A director of the Tourism Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), he also recognises the importance of developing the tourism industry regionally and is working very hard to bring additional help to the industry.

“We have a corridor: the Caribbean with the sun, sand and sea and Guyana with the rainforest, the culture, the biodiversity, the wildlife experience and Brazil,” he noted.

Four years ago, Edwards was instrumental in holding the first Three-Nation Tourism Conference in Boa Vista, bringing together the private and public sectors of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana.

It enabled the private and public sectors to understand what they’re doing in order to make tourism more effective and easier to happen.

Traditionally, Guyana has been marketing itself to northern Europe and North America. He sees the Rupununi as the focus because that is what Guyanese and visitors from North America and Europe want to see.

“Guyana has a phenomenal tourism potential but we have to make the potential work. We forever talk about potential, we can’t wait any longer,” he said.

Edwards said too that this is an “agricultural country but what we haven't learnt is to blend agriculture with tourism. Agro-tourism is a field that is open for all of us to get involved. At Rock View, it adds value to our farm and farm produce.” He has established a kitchen garden and fish farm at Rock View Lodge, where he has employed people from six different villages, including Konashen.