THE community of St. Cuthbert’s Mission is diligently working to enhance its tourism offerings, aiming to attract a greater number of visitors and stimulate significant economic growth.

During a recent interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), Toshao Timothy Andrews explained that more facilities are forthcoming for adequate accommodation.
“We will soon complete our seven-room self-contained guest house. We should get that completed by August month end,” Andrews noted.

St. Cuthbert’s Mission, also known as Pakuri village, is the only indigenous community in Region Four, and because of its proximity to the capital city, tourism is a viable option for economic development, especially with persons looking for day or weekend getaways.

Persons visiting the community can witness demonstrations of the Arawak way of life.
“We have a day package consisting of a lot of demonstrations on how to make Tibisiri [and] handicraft. We also teach our language [and] the history of the village. We take you to different sites in the village; we have our village farm; now we take you there as well,” Andrews said.

Tourists can also learn how to survive in the jungle using animal traps and process cassava and create other indigenous foods.
Toshao Andrews is also urging persons visiting the community to adhere to the guidelines set out by the village council.

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) has been working with St. Cuthbert’s Mission and several other indigenous communities to help develop its tourism products and conduct training in various aspects of the hospitality sector.