Twenty persons who were awarded by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce for participating in the ‘snap n share’ competition have expressed that it has offered them unique travel experiences.
On Friday these participants were awarded at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) spoke with some of these persons.
Region Nine resident, Lynmarie Demetro, who placed second in the competition, said the cash prize she received will help her to offset the cost of photocopying documents, since she is a student of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), and is required to steadily submit assignments.
“Firstly, I’m going to buy a printer which will help ease my burdens. I already have a laptop so this money will really help me,” she related.
Demetro also noted that through the competition, she was able to showcase many of the beautiful sites in the region.
Candecy Peterson, a nurse in training, from Region Seven said, “I just entered for the fun of it. I was running through my gallery because I am a spontaneous traveller and so I decided to submit one.”
The elated Peterson expressed her gratitude to the ministry after placing third.
Meanwhile, an excited Wayne Jacobs who was awarded for his entry, related that, “Placing 17 in the competition feels great because I am a finalist and the competition had over a thousand submissions.”
Jacobs said he chose a photo of the Blue Lake in Linden, Region 10 because of its popularity, especially among tourists.
Meanwhile, Dakari Jordan, who is a regular participant in the competition, noted that he visited all 10 of the administrative regions, however, it was his first time visiting the village of Malali.
“When I went here it was a little creek that we were going through, and I heard the sound of water falling. It was this lovely serene place, just nestled within the forest and so, I wanted persons to see it,” the young man expressed.
Participants are also benefitting from day tours, dinners and free vehicle rentals.
Some of the pictures were placed on the wall of the ACCC.
Minister, Oneidge Walrond during her remarks noted that the objective of the competition is being achieved.
“Our objective when we started was for Guyanese to appreciate Guyana and to start seeing the things that the visitors see. And we think that objective has been catching on because these photographs which are extremely beautiful were captured by our people,” the minister stated.
She said when a country deeply appreciates its products, it places great value on them, and it is easier for the country to sell this to tourists.
So far, the submissions have garnered some 10 million views from around the world via social media.
“The result of this competition tells us that we are promoting Destination Guyana, marketing places.
“We are going to launch our Tourism Product Development Grant Programme. Just out of this, we can get ideas, tour guides and investors can get ideas of an experience. So, we are going to be giving grants for the development of experience,”the minister stated.
In order to achieve this, persons will have to send in their proposals, which will be graded on how the experience will benefit persons. This aims to bring about innovation in the tourism industry.
Minister Walrond revealed that her ministry is working towards acquiring scholarships for persons who have an interest in travel photography so that they can gain experience. (DPI)
