Jonestown Massacre Site To be a Tourist Hotspot?

Nearly 50 years after the horrific Jonestown massacre claimed more than 900 lives, Guyana is preparing to turn the infamous site into a tourist attraction. The move has sparked outrage and reopened the scars of one of history’s deadliest cult tragedies.

In November 1978, Rev. Jim Jones led his followers to their deaths deep in Guyana’s jungle, forcing hundreds to drink poisoned grape-flavored drink in a chilling mass suicide. Among the victims were over 300 children. Now, a government-backed tour operator wants to transform the abandoned site into a visitor destination. Critics are slamming the idea as “ghoulish,” accusing the government of exploiting tragedy for profit.

Survivor Jordan Vilchez narrowly escaped death that day. At 14, she was sent to Jonestown but happened to be in Guyana’s capital when the mass suicide unfolded. Her two sisters and nephews weren’t so lucky.

“I just missed dying by one day,” she said, recalling the horrifying event. While she acknowledges Guyana’s right to profit from its history, she warns, “Any place where people were manipulated into their deaths must be treated with respect.”

Yet, others are furious. Neville Bissember, a Guyanese law professor, called the plan “ghoulish and bizarre.” He slammed the idea, asking, “Why glorify a tragedy brought here by outsiders? This atrocity had nothing to do with Guyanese culture.”

The government, however, remains determined. Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond sees potential in the project, likening it to Rwanda’s genocide memorials. “This can be meaningful,” she said. “The area has already been cleared to create a product that can be marketed.”

Rose Sewcharran, director of Wonderlust Adventures, the company spearheading the effort, defended the move. “This happens all over the world,” she said. “Look at Auschwitz or the Holocaust Museum. Jonestown deserves a place in that narrative.”

Accessing the site is no small feat. Hidden deep in the jungle, Jonestown is reachable only by boat, helicopter, or plane. Visitors would need to navigate six miles of rugged trails to reach what remains of the commune—rusted equipment, a crumbling pavilion, and jungle overgrowth.

Despite the challenges, some believe this dark chapter of history should be preserved. Pilot Gerry Gouveia, who flew near Jonestown when it was active, insists the site should be rebuilt. “Recreate Jim Jones’s house, the pavilion, everything,” he urged. “Tourists need to see and understand what really happened there.”

Still, others are skeptical. Fielding McGehee, co-director of the Jonestown Institute, called the plan “a logistical nightmare.” He also warned against sensationalizing the tragedy. “This isn’t about understanding history—it’s prurient interest in death,” he said.

For decades, Guyana avoided Jonestown, desperate to separate itself from the tragedy. The victims were mostly Americans, drawn in by Jones’s promises of utopia, only to face beatings, forced labor, and rehearsals for mass suicide.

Today, with an oil-fueled economy booming, Guyana is eager to attract more tourists. Proponents of the plan see Jonestown as a potential draw, but survivors like Vilchez see it differently. In 2018, she returned to the site, burying locks of her parents’ hair in a quiet act of remembrance.

“It felt like an offering to the land,” she said, mourning her lost family.

As Guyana weighs whether to open Jonestown to visitors, the world watches, wondering if this infamous site will serve as a place of reflection or become another spectacle in the growing trend of dark tourism. The decision looms, and the scars of 1978 remain raw.