The declining fortunes of the gold industry may be a source of concern for Bartica but that is not to say that as far as enterprise is concerned the community is not weighing its options.
Visitors utilize Bartica as a kind of thoroughfare, a gateway to the interior, their interest being primarily in a ‘gold rush’ that has now slowed to a crawl. That has to change if Bartica is to survive.
One gets the impression that the small business community that has – in one way or another – made most of its money out of gold is focused on diversification. The Bartica Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been resuscitated and the thrust of its longer-term business plan appears to revolve around sustaining Bartica’s visitor popularity derived from its role as a gateway to the interior.
A recent visit to Bartica revealed that there are at least 20 hotels and guest houses in the community. It is a surprising, even staggering number, though many of them are spartan facilities, suitable in most instances to serve as temporary lodgings for people passing through.
Situated on Second Avenue, Zen Hotel, a modest $6 million investment in 1998, is being transformed into one of the standout attractions in Bartica and, according to its Proprietor Stephen Belle, the multi-million dollar overhaul of the facility is an attempt to make a statement to the rest of the country about what Bartica has to offer. Belle, who currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Bartica Neighbourhood Development Council told Stabroek Business that having travelled abroad he is familiar with visitor expectations of a modern hotel. It is, he says, above everything else, about creating “a welcoming atmosphere.” Even prior to completion the facility already boasts a Conference Hall, Ballroom and Gymnasium. Those facilities alone set it apart from the competition.
Belle says his objective is to make Zen an integral part of Bartica’s tourism infrastructure. Additionally, he hopes that facilities like the Conference Hall will attract gatherings of various types to Bartica, a pursuit which he believes will otherwise impact positively on visitor arrivals to the community. At the same time he seeks to place “higher standards” at the disposal of Barticians.
The renovation of the hotel will also serve to benefit the Bartica banking community. The Bartica Branch of Scotia Bank, is housed on the bottom floor of the building.
The incremental growth of the Zen Hotel is a tribute to the business savvy of its owner. Four times since its construction he has managed to add value to the property through successive renovations and he has managed to do so through a combination of reinvestments and bank loans. At its inception it offered 9 rooms. Today it offers 36 rooms and its estimated value is $500 million.
It was after he returned home from the USA about two years ago that he took a decision to play a more direct role in the management of the hotel. It was shortly thereafter that gold prices became unstable and Bartica began to feel its own gold-dependence. Life became harder for ordinary Barticians and Belle says that the hotel’s survival was due, by and large, to loyal patrons and a few shrewd business deals. “We are just about managing to deal with expenses at this point,” Belle says.
The hotel proprietor is currently mulling the possibility of partnering with businesses in the tourism sector to create tour packages designed to attract coastal visitors as well as visitors from overseas. He is also hoping that his proposed investment in Jet Boats will attract duty-free consideration from the authorities. Having served as the NDC Vice Chairman for the past two years Belle believes that one of Bartica’s urgent priorities is the development of its commercial sector. He believes that the key to this accomplishment may well lie in diversification into other sectors, chiefly tourism, agriculture and aquaculture. “People need to go back to farming and we need to create facilities through which they can market what they produce,” Belle says.
As a regional administrator and a hotelier he worries about what he believes is a growing garbage problem. The solution, he says, reposes in far stricter enforcement of laws governing disposal and site management. What is lacking too, he says, is a regime of vocational education that provides school-leavers with opportunities to learn useful skills. For now at least, the ‘gold bush’ is not an automatic option. “The establishment of a technical institute here is necessary,” he says. “Our youngsters need to learn skills like engineering, welding, and other skills that will support the industrialization of Bartica.”
