Guyana is expecting to attract record participation from the Caribbean, Latin American, North American and European countries when it hosts the tenth staging of the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA X) in August.
According to Guyana's Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony approximately 1300 of the expected 2000 delegates had already confirmed their participation in the Caribbean's premier cultural event set for 22-31 August, 2008.
He said enthusiasm had been building both regionally and internationally for CARIFESTA and to date, more than 22 countries from the Caribbean Community, Latin America, North America, Canada and Indonesia had confirmed their participation.
Dr Anthony added that other countries such as Australia, United Kingdom, China, French Guiana and Morocco had also indicated an interest in being a part of the event.
He added that an "aggressive awareness campaign" will be launched soon to stimulate even more international interest in the festival.
The minister has also sought to assure that adequate accommodation and ground and air transportation would be available for those attending CARIFESTA, pointing to 3041 existing hotel rooms and the plan to reactivate the Bed and Breakfast programme that was successfully operated during Cricket World Cup 2007. In addition, Dr Anthony said other hostel arrangements would be made to ensure adequate accommodation.
Meantime, CARIFESTA's Artistic Director, Dr Paloma Mohamed, has promised a spectacular opening night for the event.
"We will have a very spectacular opening ceremony which will be representative of Guyana and the Region not only in an artistic way but in a cultural way to ensure that the social, economic and historical aspects of the Caribbean is showcased," she said.
