THA Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris has congratulated Castara on being the only Caribbean community selected for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Best Tourism Village Programme.

In a press release on Tuesday, Burris extended her congratulations to the village on being one of 20 communities in the world selected to participate in the upgrade programme of the Best Tourism Villages.

According to the UN organisation, a Best Tourism Village label is awarded to a village that is “an outstanding example of a rural tourism destination with recognised cultural and natural assets that preserves and promotes community-based values, products and lifestyle…and has a clear commitment to sustainability in all its aspects.”

Burris said: “We are immensely proud of the recognition the village of Castara has received from the UNWTO as one of the recipients of their Best Tourism Village Initiative. Castara has continued to demonstrate that, as a community, they have embraced the ideals of responsible and responsive tourism.

"I wish to commend the technical staff at the division who worked alongside the community in the submission. I also congratulate the entire community and all stakeholders who continue to help grow their tourism products and offerings. We now look forward to the results of the execution of this initiative in the community in 2023.”

As a part of this programme, Castara will receive support from UNWTO and its partners in improving elements of the areas identified as gaps in the evaluation process. The village will also become part of the UNWTO Best Tourism Villages Global Network, which provides many benefits, including onsite and online training, sharing of good practices and international brand recognition and awareness.