Toka village making strides in tourism sector

Toka, an Amerindian community nestled in the North Rupununi Wetlands of Region Nine, is experiencing unprecedented growth in the tourism sector with tremendous support from the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA).

Toshao Micah Davis recently highlighted the valuable assistance provided by the GTA in an interview with the agency on Sunday.

“Firstly, we have gained a lot of training from GTA, from tour guide to hospitality to management. They did a lot in investing in our training so that we would be able to understand how to control our tourism in Toka,” Davis said.

According to Toshao Davis, the tourism authority’s support has left an indelible mark on the village’s tourism sector, significantly boosting their capabilities to develop lasting tourism strategies.

GTA’s training has been instrumental in enabling the village to develop its own official tourism products, including an immersive pottery experience and beautifully crafted sustainable eco-lodges.

The village, with continued support from the GTA, is also conducting extensive testing of its itineraries.

As part of their hands-on training, Davis and other community representatives recently participated in an informative, week-long Ecolodge Development Workshop led by globally recognised ecotourism expert, Professor Hitesh Mehta.

While detailing the positive impact of this training, Davis explained how this initiative has deepened his understanding of ecotourism and its benefits, and created numerous learning and development opportunities for his community.

He explained that “from this training, when I go back to my community, I will be able to explain to the people better what it means when we speak about ecotourism.”

He further added “ecotourism is more living in nature and presenting what we have to the tourists or the outsiders…by caring and using them (the natural resources) in a sustainable way.”

This beneficial partnership between Toka Village and the GTA has enabled the village to realise its full potential and create a sustainable guideline for other developing communities aiming to capitalise on their natural resources.