Awards highlight a new era of purpose-driven tourism in the Caribbean
May 4, 2026
Toka Village’s recognition with the inaugural Community-Based Tourism Award at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Sustainable Tourism Conference in Belize marks more than a milestone. It validates a model that places communities at the centre of the tourism experience.
Located in Guyana’s Rupununi region, roughly 600 miles from Georgetown, the Indigenous Macushi community offers immersive, hands-on experiences, including clay digging, pottery making and guided village tours led by residents.
Those experiences are not simply activities for visitors, but living expressions of culture passed down through generations. Rooted in cultural preservation and environmental stewardship, the initiative demonstrates how locally driven tourism can generate economic opportunity while safeguarding heritage.
In that context, the honour also signals a wider shift taking place across the region. It reflects a move toward purposeful tourism where visitors engage with authentic people, stories and places rather than curated versions of them.
Candace Phillips, Senior Manager of Product Development at the Guyana Tourism Authority, accepted the award on behalf of Toka Village, emphasizing the depth behind what might otherwise appear to be a simple visitor experience.
CTO Secretary-General and CEO Dona Regis-Prosper (r) and Charlene Drakes, the Manager of Stakeholder Engagement with Caribbean Region Carnival Corporation & plc, presented the Community-based Tourism Award to Candace Phillips of the Guyana Tourism Authority (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
“Imagine clay that comes from the earth that only signifies a piece of pottery, but it holds tradition, stories and connections to our past, a rich ancestral trail,” she said. “That is the beginning of the Toka experience that is grounded largely in a collection of the people from that village in the North Rupununi.
“Taking their destiny in hand, they reached out a few years ago, asking for support to develop their tourism enterprise, not really sure what was going to happen. In the spirit of collaboration, this award not only recognizes the work of the Guyana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, but also the collaboration with all the stakeholders who have been part of this process.”
That emphasis on connection and process is central to the experience itself.
Phillips explained that the pottery-making journey begins at the source.
“You go to the site, you’re enriched in the ancestral traditions and you pray to Mother Earth,” she said. “After doing that, you go through all the stages of making your own pottery. This is a very unique experience in that while you are moulding your piece, you are having conversations. You are learning and immersing yourself in the community.”
But even as these intimate, community-driven experiences define Guyana’s tourism identity, much of the outside world’s attention remains fixed on its rapidly expanding oil industry.
“Many of my colleagues here are fascinated about Guyana mainly because of oil,” added Phillips. “For us in tourism, we face one of our biggest challenges in terms of balance and creating industries that will survive extraction. How do we put systems in place to protect the traditions we are trying to preserve?”
The latest award builds on growing international acclaim, including Toka Village’s silver honour at the 2024 World Travel Market Latin America Responsible Tourism Awards, further cementing its status as a leading example of community-driven tourism done right.
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Maria Fowell, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Senior Technical Specialist responsible for Tourism & Economic Development, outlined the selection criteria for the Community-based Tourism Award.
“We focused on community leadership and empowerment as well as social, cultural and economic benefits, sustainability, long-term value, authenticity and visitor education,” she said. “Across the entries, we observed truly authentic community-led experiences, from events and local activities to initiatives rooted in co-creation and youth development, showcasing culture, culinary traditions, wellness, music and innovation, along with structured approaches to building community-based tourism.”
Turneffe Flats, recognized as Belize’s premier saltwater fly-fishing, scuba diving and marine eco-tourism destination, was the recipient of the Excellence in Tourism Award.
Located on Turneffe Atoll which is the largest and most biologically diverse atoll in the Caribbean, the destination resort provides superior flats fishing, diving, snorkelling and eco-adventure experiences for a limited number of guests.
Dr. Sherma Roberts, who served on the judging panel, emphasized the strength of submissions, particularly in sustainability practices.
“We were particularly impressed because the submissions were comprehensive and very strong in terms of environmental management practices, including water and energy conservation,” she said. “…We were also impressed with the level of visitor and staff safety as well as the adoption of sustainable accommodation practices which align with global best practices.”
CTO Secretary General & CEO Dona Regis-Prosper (l), Belize Ministry of Tourism, Youth, Sports & Diaspora Relations Nicole Usher Solano, Belize Minister of Tourism & Diaspora Relations Anthony Mahler and Belize Director of Tourism Evan Tillett presented the Excellence in Tourism Award to Craig Hayes of Turneffe Flats (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Craig Hayes, who has owned Turneffe Flats with his wife, Karen, since 1981, highlighted the direct link between environmental protection and economic survival in tourism.
“Our natural resources are the foundation of our industry,” he said. “Losing our reefs, mangroves and flats is not simply an environmental misfortune. It is an existential threat to nature-based tourism in Belize and across the Caribbean.”
Hayes argued that those who benefit most from these assets, both tourism operators and visitors, must share responsibility for their protection and management.
“We often speak about sustainability as a responsibility, but it is also an opportunity,” he said. “Done right, sustainability is a financial winner. It reduces long-term costs, strengthens your marketing advantage and, more importantly, makes good business sense.”
The Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s (JSIF) Second Rural Economic Development Initiative earned the Destination Stewardship & Resilience Award at a particularly critical moment.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa and amid the escalating challenges of climate change, the US$40 million World Bank-funded initiative stands as a timely and strategic response, strengthening climate-resilient agriculture and advancing community-based tourism across the island.
The recognition not only affirms the program’s effectiveness in safeguarding livelihoods and ecosystems, but also highlights Jamaica’s broader commitment to building sustainable, resilient communities capable of withstanding environmental shocks while creating long-term economic opportunities.
“This award means so much to us because it affirms something we strongly believe and that is tourism must not only bring visitors to our destination, but it must also strengthen communities, support culture and heritage, livelihoods and resilience,” said community-based tourism development specialist Larisa McBean who accepted the award on behalf of the JSIF. “…This recognition is especially meaningful because resilience is no longer an abstract concept for the region. Constant shifts are going on geopolitically, and these have reminded us that sustainability must be practical, inclusive and embedded in how we plan and recover.”
Tourism specialist Larisa McBean (r) accepted the Destination Stewardship & Resilience Award on behalf of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund from CTO Secretary-General & CEO Dona Regis-Prosper (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Tenisha Brown Williams, a senior tourism specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank based in Port-of-Spain, was on the judging panel.
Belize, Bermuda, Jamaica, Curacao and Barbados made submissions.
“What we saw was five countries putting their heart and soul into resilience and stewardship in terms of innovating, adopting and really leading in this space,” she pointed out. “We saw policy efforts, training and development and community initiatives. The submissions reflected an impressive commitment to strengthening destination resilience across the Caribbean. One of the things that stood out was the use of data.”
The recognition of the East Caicos Wilderness Project, a community-driven and Darwin-funded initiative supported by the Turks and Caicos National Trust (TCNT), with the inaugural Regenerative Tourism Award marks a defining moment in the region’s evolving tourism model.
It signals a shift beyond sustainability toward regeneration, in which tourism is not only responsibly managed but also actively restores ecosystems, strengthens cultural heritage and empowers local communities.
“The East Caicos Wilderness project represents more than our protection of biodiversity,” said TCNT Executive Managing Director Jasmine Thomas. “It reflects the power of inclusive conservation, active community participation and the meaningful involvement of our youth in shaping a sustainable future for generations to come. The project is a powerful example of what it means to respect and preserve nature as it was intended to be.”
CTO Secretary-General & CEO Dona Regis-Prosper (l) presented the Regenerative Tourism Award to TCNT Executive Managing Director Jasmine Thomas in the presence of Brian Been of the Turks & Caicos Ministry of Tourism (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Paloma Zapata, CEO of Sustainable Travel International and a judge for the award, noted that poorly managed tourism in the Caribbean can be extractive, placing strain on ecosystems and threatening the sustainability of local communities.
“I am happy that this is a new category because we need to recognize the work being done on the ground,” she said. “It is up to the Caribbean community to become stewards of the destination. It was hard for us to make a selection, as some of the projects have been around for a long time and have made an impact. Some of the things we looked at were the benefits to the communities and the environment.”
Established in 2000 to honour individuals, organizations and destinations, the awards have become a benchmark for leadership in environmental stewardship, community empowerment and cultural preservation across the Caribbean.
Over time, they have evolved into more than a recognition program, reflecting a broader shift in how the region defines and measures tourism success.
“The awards presentation is a powerful reminder that excellence across the Caribbean tourism sector is real,” said CTO Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer Dona Regis-Prosper. “It is an opportunity for us to not only recognize those participating in the industry, but those who are actively shaping it. We celebrate those achievements. These are not merely symbols of recognition. It is a representation of innovation, commitment and leadership. Behind every award presented today is a story of vision, preservation and purpose. It is a story that truly defines the character of Caribbean tourism.”
That emphasis on purpose-driven tourism is central to the awards’ enduring relevance, as highlighted by CTO Deputy Director of Sustainable Tourism Narendra Ramgulam.
“What we celebrate here is not extraction,” he said. “It is restoration, stewardship and ownership of our future. We took a bold step in establishing these awards, not just as a recognition program, but as a signal that the Caribbean would not follow the world in tourism development. We would help lead it. Over the past 26 years, that signal has grown into a movement grounded in a simple but powerful idea that tourism done right must improve the lives of people, protect our environment, preserve our culture and strengthen our economies, not in isolation, but together. What makes today special is the showcase of real, lived examples brought to life by the nominees and winners.”
