Toka Village, an Amerindian community in Guyana, received valuable assistance and support from the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA). The training, which was a meaningful investment into the Toka people, was conducted in late 2024. It consisted of courses in tour guiding, hospitality and management.
The aim of the partnership between Toka Village and the GTA is to enable the village to realise its full potential. It will also form the basis for a sustainable guideline for other developing communities aiming to capitalise on their natural resources.
The community is located in the North Rupununi Wetlands on Region Nine, close to the Pakaraima Mountain Range. To get to the village, visitors should travel along the Georgetown to Lethem trail.
Toka Village Toshao (village leader) Micah Davis was pleased with the training and the benefits it brought to the community. He spoke of the GTA’s support and how it has left an indelible mark on the village tourism sector. Additionally, he said that the training would significantly boost their capabilities to develop lasting tourism strategies.
Toka is home to approximately 372 indigenous people. Although the village thrives on a simple way of life, it is exploring new business ventures that will improve the livelihoods of the residents. Farming, fishing and hunting are the traditional sources of income, but there are opportunities to create linkages with sustainable tourism.
The training with the GTA also included classes on how villagers can create their own official tourism products. There were also session on building and maintaining sustainable eco-lodges. Further, there was a week-long Ecolodge Development Workshop led by global ecotourism expert, Professor Hitesh Mehta.
Toshao Davis said the training was impactful and deepened his understanding of ecotourism and its benefits. He sees ecotourism as “living in nature and presenting what we have to the tourists or the outsiders. To achieve this they can care and use them (the natural resources) in a sustainable way.
Source: Toka Village Making Strides in Tourism Sector (Guyana Department of Public Information)
Image: Guyana Department of Public Information
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