After planning ecological tours for tourists, mostly in Region Nine as its main objective, Kanuku Tours on Friday launched its budgeted US$500,000 EcoLodge Resort which offers accommodation for visitors to the region.

At the launch, held at Kanuku Suites in Campbellville, Georgetown, owner Geer Meghan noted that the resort is located in Region Nine about 400 miles up the Essequibo River and deep-south within the Amazon on some 500 acres of land, which were allotted to Kanuku Tours by the Government of Guyana.

Although US$500,000 were budgeted for the entire five-year project, the businessman said only US$200,000 have been absorbed thus far since it is still incomplete and further work is to be conducted on the exterior areas of the resort. The lodge is 80 feet by 30 feet and houses eight double rooms and other structures such as huts where visitors can view endangered species in open spaces.

According to Meghan, the new resort has not yet been able to offer its services to locals owing to the high cost of the package – transportation, accommodation and tour – which is financially out of reach of most Guyanese. He said that after being in the ecotourism industry for some eight years, he has observed that it is expensive and as such, his company has only been booking international tourists from large corporations in developed countries.

“... All the persons that we’ve hosted in the last eight years are [from] National Geographic, BBC, Animal Planet and [others] … who can really afford it because of the cost. But we have in our programme doing certain costing, budgeting for the locals,” he said.

He stated that the journey will commence in Georgetown where visitors will be flown to the nearest airstrip, in an Amerindian village called Apoteri, and then a three-hour drive to the resort.

“These guides that we have are very trained,” he added. “They have been living that as their lives so there is no danger posed because of the safety. They’ve been practicing and living in that environment throughout their entire life.

“One of the good things in going there, … as you are driving, it’s like Jurassic Park, macaw, toucan, wild exotic birds flying, you’re seeing huge anaconda swimming… It’s an area that is really wild so it will be a very good thing for Guyanese to experience. And we’re trying to make the cost [affordable] to let that happen.”

Meghan said that as the resort is centred on ecotourism, no trees in the area will be harmed by the tourists, nor will animals be captured.

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of President Irfaan Ali who was supposed to attend the ceremony, Speaker of Parliament Manzoor Nadir said, “Tourism is already impacting positively on our economy. It is a major export earner. Prior to the pandemic it was the third largest export earner and accounted for 7.8 percent of our GDP before petroleum production commenced…”

Nadir said the president had noted that “one of the most exciting frontiers for ecotourism development is Region Nine… The area has diverse ecosystems from rivers, savannahs, rainforests, mountain ranges and endemic biodiversity… Region Nine has already begun to emerge as a major hotspot for sustainable tourism. The region boasts a number of ecolodges

and resorts from idyllic to rustic.”

Speeches were also read for Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond and Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai, both of whom were absent. Through their representatives they both congratulated Meghan and his team on the tourism-based initiative.