Guyana welcomed the first cruise ship for 2014 and the return of the passenger ship Minerva to its shores on Sunday, with its over 500 passengers and crew who were treated to a tour of Arrowpoint and other areas.
The 437-foot long 12,500-ton passenger ship, with its 350 passengers and crew of 174 comprising mainly Filipinos and Ukrainians, started its two-day cruise activities here under its 83 nights Grand Faces of South America tour sailing from Bridgetown roundtrip. The ship began the tour on January 4 and docked at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation’s Wharf in La Penitence early on Sunday, a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
On Monday morning, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Indranauth Haralsingh met Captain Alex Kudove and Director of Hotel, Eddie Thompson on board the vessel to inform them about the opportunities available in Destination Guyana. He spoke of the plans underway to address constraints to cruise ships docking here, including a feasibility study being done for a cruise terminal in Port Georgetown. Haralsingh said cruise arrivals are important to Guyana’s fledgling tourism industry which over the years has seen much growth and recognition by renowned tour operators and promoters.
The GTA head also told Captain Kudrove that in 2013 Guyana received a total of 200,000 visitors and arrivals to the country grew by 11.6 per cent; double the world average and that of the Caribbean. Guyana was listed among the National Geographic Traveler’s top 21 destinations to visit in 2014 and it also has the BBC endorsement of being among its top places to visit, he noted.
“We hope that you can make sure, based on the satisfaction level of the visitors that Guyana stays on your itinerary,” he said. In response, the captain said his crew has already received positive feedback from passengers about Guyana, which is essential to tailoring the cruise itinerary. However, the itinerary for next year has already been planned and the ship will be touring Japan.
According to GINA, the visitors were given a guided tour of the city and were taken to Arrowpoint and other areas. In the evening they enjoyed lectures on the indigenous people of Guyana, the Guyanese culture and the Mangrove Project from Annette Arjoon and Dave Martins. One of the passengers, Claudette Bernadette, is Guyanese born but has been living in London for the past 50 years. She said that she chose to join the cruise particularly because it was stopping in Guyana.
“The cruise is fabulous. It is the second time I have been on this ship. It is small and personal, and it is educational because on every stop we have lectures about the area, the history, the animals, the plants and we also have a lot of workshops doing arts,” she said.
Wilderness Explorers facilitated the cruise liner’s recent visit to Guyana. It also facilitated its first visit here ten years ago. The vessel was built in 1996 and sailed under the cruise line Swan Hellenic until her lease ran out in 2003. She then briefly sailed with Saga Cruises as the Saga Pearl, and was then chartered to Abercrombie & Kent as the Explorer II, making voyages to Antarctica and South America. In July 2007, the ship was re-acquired by the subsequently re-launched Swan Hellenic line and the name reverted to Minerva.
The vessel boasts two restaurants, three lounges, a 5000 volume library, a boutique and gift shop, a gymnasium, spa and sauna service, a beauty salon as well as several balconies and outside cabins.
In 2013, the National Geographic Cruise Ship docked on September 25 bringing approximately 110 passengers who spent two days exploring the coastline of the islands in the Essequibo River in search of plants and wildlife. They were also taken to various tourist sites including the majestic Kaieteur Falls.
Over the past few years Port Georgetown has welcomed other cruise ships. including the Saga Pearl 2, the luxurious cruise liner Le Levant, the Clipper Adventure, the MV Spirit of Adventure, the Minerva II, the MV Hanseatic and the MV Vistamar.
The Minerva was scheduled to leave these shores on Monday night heading to Trinidad and Tobago.
