The Warapoka in Region One, sees a bright future in Tourism and agriculture with the Toshao Jeremy Boyal undertaking to further spread the knowledge of the two disciplines to other communities.
“What we are doing now, we want to develop a local package for other community members who are around Santa Rosa which is the largest community. We want to have a local package, something like a day activity so people can experience what tourism looks like”, he said.
Toshao Boyal said that would include, canoeing, tasting of the alaka, some traditional activity as well, birdwatching.
“…Especially when we have an active eagle nest, we want to have that as one of the main attractions,” he said.
Boyal stated that several communities in the region has expressed interest in pursuing tourism. He explained that they need help in the “know how” which his village is willing to provide.
“For example, we had Imbotero, who is within region one but we brought them over to our village. We show them community tourism and how you do it. So, we want to as well have Asakata and Santa Rosa, because we have made some mistakes and we don’t want them to make the same mistakes. So, we want them to come to us we have the interaction. We share with them, our successes and our failures as well, so that will help them to grow faster,” he stated.
The village has also gotten the support from the governmenr and the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs to relocate the guest house which is currently in the centre of the village.
This move will cause less disruption to community life, provide more privacy and a more nature-based experience for the tourists.
The village also received support from the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) in identifying a potential nature-based site for the construction of eco lodges.
The GTA conducted assessments and discussions to identify a suitable location.
“Considering important eco-lodge development principles such as privacy, comfort, environmental sustainability, and the overall experience we want our guests to enjoy when visiting Warapoka,” the village stated in a Facebook post.
This marks an important milestone for the village and signals the journey toward a major tourism development project.
“It represents another important step in strengthening community-based tourism while protecting and showcasing our natural environment,” the village said.
