A New Hotel Bets on Essequibo as Guyana’s Next Tourist Draw
Travel
Key Facts
—The opening. A new 43-room hotel has opened at Anna Regina, on Guyana’s Essequibo Coast.
—The backer. It was built by local businessman Roopan Ramotar, widely known as “Rooster”.
—The blessing. President Irfaan Ali helped commission the hotel in person.
—The extras. The owner has also built a nearby food and entertainment boardwalk.
—The region. Essequibo is better known abroad for Venezuela’s territorial claim than for tourism.
A stretch of Guyana famous abroad for a border dispute is quietly building a different reputation. A new hotel on the Essequibo Coast is the latest sign that the region wants to be known for tourism, not just territory.
The 43-room Rooster International Hotel has opened at Anna Regina, the main town on the coast. It is aimed at both business and leisure travellers, with rooms, dining, a fitness centre and other modern comforts.
The mix of rooms and dining under one roof is designed to serve two very different guests. One is the visiting official or contractor, the other is the traveller who simply wants somewhere pleasant to stay.
The opening drew the country’s president in person. Irfaan Ali joined the owner and his family to commission the hotel, calling it another addition to a fast-growing hospitality sector in the region.
A presidential visit to a coastal hotel signals how seriously the government now takes tourism here. It also puts a spotlight on private investment in a region that has long waited for it.
Why the Essequibo Coast matters
For most foreign readers, Essequibo means one thing: the vast western region that Venezuela claims as its own. That dispute, now before the world court, has dominated the international headlines.
Yet the legal fight plays out in far-off courtrooms and capitals. On the ground, life on the coast follows a much older and calmer rhythm.
Essequibo is also a real place where people live and work. Anna Regina sits on a fertile coastal belt of rice fields and fishing communities, a world away from the geopolitics played out in distant capitals.
That everyday Essequibo is the one the new hotel is betting on. Its backers see a region with beaches, rivers and Amazonian interior that could, in time, draw visitors in its own right.
Those natural draws are the raw material of any tourism plan. The challenge is turning scenery and river life into somewhere visitors can comfortably reach and enjoy.
The man they call Rooster
The project is the work of one persistent local investor. Businessman Roopan Ramotar, universally known as Rooster, has long argued that Essequibo could become one of Guyana’s leading tourism destinations.
The hotel is only part of his vision. He has already built a nearby food and entertainment boardwalk, meant to host cultural performances, dining and recreation and to give visitors a reason to linger.
Together the hotel and boardwalk form a small hub rather than a single building. The idea is that guests find things to do close by, not just a bed for the night.
His timing rides a national wave. Guyana’s oil boom has flooded the country with business travellers and money, and hotel rooms outside the capital have been in short supply.
The pattern is spreading beyond one owner. A string of Guyanese entrepreneurs, some returning from the diaspora, have poured money into hotels and restaurants to catch the wave of visitors the oil sector has brought.
Anna Regina is a natural place to plant a flag. As the administrative heart of Region Two, it draws officials, contractors and traders who until now had few comfortable places to stay overnight.
A test for regional tourism
The wider question is whether the oil money can spread. Most of Guyana’s new wealth and construction has concentrated in and around Georgetown, the capital, leaving regions like Essequibo hungry for a share.
A hotel of this size is a modest but real answer. It creates local jobs, gives visiting workers a place to stay, and signals that private money is willing to bet on the region’s future.
For a traveller or expat, it widens the map. Guyana’s tourism has centred on Georgetown and the interior’s famous Kaieteur Falls, and a comfortable base on the Essequibo Coast opens up an underexplored corner.
A reliable place to stay can change how people travel. It lets visitors slow down and explore the coast rather than passing straight through.
Whether the visitors follow is the open question. For now, the bet is that a region defined abroad by conflict can, at home, quietly build an economy around welcome instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Essequibo Coast?
The Essequibo Coast is a populated coastal belt in western Guyana, in the country’s Region Two, with Anna Regina as its main town. It is part of the wider Essequibo region that Venezuela claims, though the coast itself is a settled area of farming and fishing communities.
Is Essequibo safe to visit?
The Essequibo Coast is a normal, inhabited part of Guyana where daily life continues despite the territorial dispute, which is being handled diplomatically and at the international court. As with anywhere, travellers should check current official advice before a trip.
Why is Guyana’s hotel sector growing?
Guyana’s rapid oil-driven economic boom has brought a surge of business travellers and investment, straining a limited supply of hotel rooms, especially outside the capital. That has spurred new hospitality projects like this one on the Essequibo Coast.
Who built the new hotel?
The 43-room Rooster International Hotel at Anna Regina was built by local businessman Roopan Ramotar, widely known as Rooster. He has also built a nearby food and entertainment boardwalk for dining, cultural performances and recreation.
Did the president attend the opening?
Yes. President Irfaan Ali joined the owner and his family to commission the hotel in person, calling it another addition to a fast-growing hospitality sector in the region.
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