The harrowing site where 900 people died now to become a haven for dark tourism

The site of a horrific cult massacre, which saw the loss of over 900 people nearly 50 years ago, has been unveiled as a sightseeing spot, after latching on to the latest dark tourism trend. However, the move has been met with fierce backlash.

The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known as "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana, South America, established by the Peoples Temple, an American religious movement under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jones, who had an interest in Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong and Adolf Hitler, formed the movement in Indiana in 1955, which practised what is called "apostolic socialism", advocating for a society where all possessions were held in common and needs were met by the community.

In 1973, following critical newspaper articles and the defection of several Temple members, Jones and Temple attorney Timothy Stoen created a Caribbean missionary post in Guyana. A year later, they negotiated a lease of over 3,800 acres of land in the jungle located 150 miles west of the Guyanese capital, Georgetown. Members of the movement were then encouraged to relocate to the settlement.

In November 1978, US Congressman Leo Ryan travelled to Guyana to inspect the Temple's activities and compound. He was investigating rumours that some members were being held against their will and that some were being subjected to physical and psychological abuse. However, as he was leaving, Temple members launched an attack at the airstrip, shooting and killing five people, including Ryan.

In the wake of the shooting, on November 18, Jones ordered members outside the compound to commit suicide. Then he enacted his "revolutionary suicide" plan at the compound, which members had "practised" for, in which a fruit drink was laced with various drugs. Jones himself died of a gunshot wound. Less than 100 of the members in Guyana survived the massacre.

Nearly 50 years on from the horrific massacre, Wanderlust Adventures GY is now offering tours to the Jonestown massacre site within a $750 (£550) package deal, asserting their goal is to enlighten visitors about "the dangers of manipulation, unchecked authority".

Survivors, however, have slammed the venture as "a money grab", while some locals are trying to distance themselves from the dark past. Kit Nascimento, 93, who served as a government spokesman for Guyana at the time of the massacre, has voiced his disapproval.

He remarked that reopening the sites merely revives an image that had been diminishing and referred to the massacre as an American calamity that just happened to take place on Guyanese land. "It's of no consequence whatsoever to the current population," he said, reported the Daily Star.

Meanwhile, John Cobb, a survivor of the massacre, condemned the tourist attraction as "a money grab to capitalise on a tragedy". The 66-year-old lost 11 family members to the cult, including his mother and five siblings.

Roselyn Sewcharran, Wanderlust Adventures GY's owner, has insisted that the tourist attraction's aim is not to sensationalise but to educate visitors about "the dangers of manipulation, unchecked authority and the circumstances that led to this devastating event." She said, "I've always been curious about social issues and their impact. There genuinely was a desire to learn more about this significant chapter of our past."

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