Community-led & owned tourism development in Lake Capoey
–GTA completes governance + CBT assessment & review of the community’s
–Tourism Development Action Plan
In 2018, the Community-Led & Owned Tourism (CLOT) Framework was created by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) to streamline the process for scaling up Indigenous community tourism in Guyana. Since then, the GTA has been the lead facilitator providing technical assistance, training and guidance to these communities to assess, develop and market their unique tourism potential. For 2021, six (6) communities have been selected and prioritised for CLOT development – Karasabai, Lake Capoey, St. Cuthbert’s Mission, Phillipai, Santa Aratak Mission and Warapoka.
Lake Capoey, located near Alliance and Taymouth Manor along the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (2), is a small Indigenous village that has recently embarked on its CLOT development initiative. On June 2 – 5, 2021, the Product Development (PD) team officially conducted its Governance and Community-based Tourism (CBT) assessment and review of Lake Capoey’s tourism development action plan.
A meeting was held with the Village Council as well as the local tourism committee where discussions on the implementation of governance systems, as well as a plan to address the challenges raised during the assessment. This, in addition to key areas of focus under the CLOT Governance Terms of Reference, provided an opportunity for the community members to be guided through topical areas such as tourism business ownership, membership of the tourism committee, disputes and issues resolutions within the community.
The Traditional Community Tourism Development Model, Public-Private Partnership Community Take Over Model, as well as the Community-based Tour Operations, were also used as guidelines on how to further implement CLOT in this community. These sessions were headed by the Product Development Facilitation Officer within the GTA, Clyde Edwards as well as the Product Development Officer, Omari Joseph.
Director of the GTA, Carla James-Vantull expressed that, “CLOT development is just another example of the steps the GTA has taken to ensure that Destination Guyana is developed in a thoughtful manner, remains at the forefront of travellers minds and maintains its position as a top sustainable tourism destination that champions community empowerment and self-reliance.”
Lake Capoey is also scheduled to benefit from delivering quality service as well as culinary arts training during the period June 23 – 25, 2021.
St. Cuthbert’s Mission as well as Santa Aratak Mission are scheduled to receive guidance on implementing their governance systems, tour packaging, and tour guide training on June 9 – 12 and June 16 – 19, 2021 respectively. Additionally, on June 23 – 25, Karasabai will benefit from a governance and tourism action planning outreach.
Responsible travel is the new norm. Despite the pandemic and other challenges that have risen, the GTA has been able to work with stakeholders to ensure projects and activities are executed with health and safety in mind. The Authority remains committed to the development process of new products and will continue to provide the necessary support to communities, entrepreneurs and businesses as they continue to express an interest in developing safe, impactful tourism experiences in Guyana.
For updates on this and other community development initiatives, contact the Manager of Product Development, Candace Phillips at candace@guyanatourism.com or 219-0055.