His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York, will arrive in Guyana next Wednesday for a private visit.
The Duke, who is the United Kingdom’s Special Representative for Interna-tional Trade and Investment, will be travelling as a guest of his close friend, Swedish tycoon Johan Eliasch.
Eliasch, the Chairman and CEO of sports equipment and clothing company HEAD, is potentially a major investor and he is exploring the viability of an eco-tourism venture here as well as the potential prospects for gaining a foothold in the sporting goods markets in Brazil, South America and the Caribbean.
Local businessman Hamley Case, who is a friend of Eliasch, is coordinating the visit. Case told Stabroek News yesterday that Prince Andrew and Eliasch will be arriving with others on Eliasch’s private jet next Wednesday evening. He said that during the private visit, Prince Andrew will pay a courtesy call on President Bharrat Jagdeo and he will also meet members of the cricket teams from the Commonwealth who are participating in the 2007 Cricket World Cup Super Eight matches. Additionally, the Prince and Eliasch will attend a special lunch at the Timberhead Eco-Resort. Several local conservationists will be present at the function.
Case explained that both Prince Andrew and Eliasch share a passion for the environment. In fact, in 2006 Eliasch purchased 400,000 acres in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest from a logging company in Brazil. The plot is located just north of the Madeira River and 1,600 miles (2600 km) northwest of Rio de Janeiro. Eliasch was quoted in news reports as citing environmental reasons as his motivation, saying “The Amazon is the lung of the world”. He has also invited scientists to explore the land in search of undiscovered species. The plot is estimated to have cost
