FROM January 2019, the village of Karasabai in the South Pakaraimas of Region Nine will be receiving its first overnight international tourists, a step towards greater tourism development in the village.

On Sunday, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin and Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, visited the community to discuss the new venture.

Over the last weekend, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) had conducted its own discussions with the villagers and the village’s tourism committee, to determine ways of improving their tourism contribution.

Coming out of the discussions was a draft three-year plan for tourism, which will enable villagers to make informed decisions, while developing their tourism product.
The plan outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the village, as well as the required capacity-building and infrastructural development necessary for the successful implementation of the village’s tourism product.

“The primary aim is to work with them to determine their vision, goals and priority actions to get tourism off the ground; then we will be essentially creating an action plan for them, which incorporates all the information they shared with us,” GTA Director Brian Mullis had explained.

According to a release from the Ministry of Business, Gaskin expressed optimism that something tangible will emerge from the discussions.

“We are not here to just have a chat with you and disappear; we are here to start a process,” the minister said, even as he encouraged the villagers to work along with the GTA so that the expected outcomes are realised.

As the villagers are now working to ensure that everything is in place for future tourists to have a memorable experience, the village’s Deputy Toshao Andrew Albert expressed his vision for the community.

“We want to develop the area, so we can accommodate both local and international tourists…we would like to see that by 2021, all villagers are both direct and indirect beneficiaries of the tourism industry,” he said. He added that the village intends to merge its agricultural sector with the tourism product.

Karasabai is home to approximately 1200 Amerindians of the Macushi tribe and most of the villagers are excited and optimistic that their community has what it takes to be a leading tourist destination.

According to Albert, the village has already constructed an Eco Lodge to house tourists, but is presently developing more cabins to accommodate a larger number of tourists.
Some of the unique experiences visitors can have in Karasabai include its golden sun parakeet, giant anteaters, flora, fauna and the seasonal pink and gray dolphins, among others.