Sod turned for AC Marriott hotel at Ogle

─ investment will advance the hotel’s regional horizon, says President

The sod has been turned for the construction of the 152-room AC Marriott Hotel at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

Delivering the feature address at the ceremony on Thursday, His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali said the investment will see the hotel expanding its regional horizon.

“…because you have now not only invested in the continuous culture of the Caribbean, but you are now officially in South America. So, our investment today is going beyond the CARICOM region,” he told the investors.

President Ali said the hotel is being built at a time when the East Coast corridor is undergoing a massive infrastructural transformation with the construction of the Ogle to Eccles four-lane highway link, and a new highway road from Conversation Tree Road to central Georgetown.

These developments, he said, will be supported by an expanded Eugene F. Correira International Airport, which is located in the vicinity where the hotel and soon-to-be-built world-class medical facilities and multinational headquarters.

Some 300 acres of land will also be developed for upscale housing by private developers, while another 2,000 acres for middle, high and low-income houses, the head-of-state said.

“Not too far from here, in LBI [La Bonne Intention] we will have an important industrial commercial zone, all of this will bring new traffic, people who will need the services of a hotel,” he added.

Even as Guyana continues to attract local and international investors, simultaneously, the government is working to create the necessary framework and infrastructure to support these investments.  It is for this reason; President Ali said, the administration is aggressively pursuing several initiatives that will position Guyana as a leading tourism destination in the world.

“We have a responsibility to support your investment, by building the platform and creating the opportunity that will bring traffic here, that will expand our footprint and take us into new markets,” he said.

Highlighting that this is the third sod-turning ceremony held this week, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Onidge Walrond, said that Guyana’s transformation is rapidly advancing.

“In five years, seven years, 10 years we will not recognise Georgetown, we will not recognise Guyana just from these developments and investments like these. We are completely changing the landscape. We are completely transforming,” she reiterated.

Chief Executive Officer of Guyana Office for Investment )Goinvest), Dr Peter Ramsaroop was also present and delivered remarks.