Trinidad and Tobago: Castara, a seaside village on the steep (north) coast of the island of Tobago, has been selected for the UNWTO Best Tourist Village Program and is the only Caribbean community to be selected for this prestigious program.
Councilor Tashia Burris, Secretary of the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transport, congratulated the village of Castara for being selected as one of 20 communities in the world to join the World Tourism Organization’s Best Tourism Villages Improvement Program United Nations (UNWTO).
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This vibrant Tobago village is popular for snorkeling, fishing, swimming and seasonal beach bonfires accompanied by cultural buzz.
The results were released earlier today on the UNW’TO website and revealed that out of 130 applications from 57 countries, Castara is the only village in the region successfully selected to participate in this prestigious UNW’TO programme.
Tashia Burris said, “We are extremely proud of the recognition that Castara village has received from UNWTO as one of the beneficiaries of their Best Tourism Village Initiative. Castara has been persistent in demonstrating that, as a community, they have adopted the tourism ideals of accountable and responsible.”
Castara Village (PC – DoTCAT Facebook Account)
PC – Facebook account of DoTCAT
PC – Facebook account of DoTCAT
According to the United Nations, a “Best Tourist Village” label is awarded to a village that is an outstanding example of a rural tourism location with recognized cultural and natural assets that preserve and promote community-based value, products , as well as lifestyle and also has a clear commitment to sustainability in every aspect.
As part of this prestigious program, Castara will receive support from UNWTO and its partners in enhancing elements of areas identified as gaps in the assessment process.
In addition, the village will become part of the UNWTO Global Network of Best Tourism Villages, which offers several benefits, such as on-site and online training, exchange of good practices, and international brand recognition and awareness.
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The president of the Castara Tourism Development Association (CTDA), Bertil Taylor, shared his views on the village’s success. “It is a remarkable achievement that we have been working towards for a long time. Castara has been building our community-based tourism product for over 30 years, so this recognition from the UNWTO comes as no surprise. However, it will undoubtedly be appreciated because of the hard work that the Association has done.
“We see ourselves as a model for Community Based Tourism in ‘Tobago and welcome the exposure and opportunities this program will provide us as we continue to enhance and improve our tourism product,” said Taylor.
Taylor further commended the 47 CTDA members for their diligence and commitment.
He also thanked the Culture and Communication/Audio-Visual units under the Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transport Division for their support and technical guidance throughout the application process.
Additionally, DoTCAT posted the video submission of Castara Tourism Development Association for consideration by UNWTO.
The Tourism Division said: “As we continue to celebrate Castara’s selection for the United Nations (UNWTO) Best Tourism Villages Development Programme, take a look at the Castara Tourism Development Association’s video presentation to was taken into consideration by the UNWTO.”
He further added, “Special kudos to the Division of Culture and Communication/AV units for providing technical support and guidance throughout the application process and for the filming and production of this video.”
