The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) has announced that the Surama Village Eco-Lodge is the joint winner of the 2011 Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award along with Barbados’ Harrison’s Cave.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release the CTO in collaboration with TravelMole presented the award at the 12th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development in Southampton, Bermuda.
Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Manniram Prashad said that Guyana has surpassed many other countries with regards to its brand of its eco-tourism product. “We are very happy and the Government of Guyana is extremely pleased with Guyana winning this prestigious CTO award jointly with Barbados,” he said. Guyana was represented at the conference by Deputy Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority Tameca Sukhdeo-Singh.
The Surama Village Eco-Lodge “harnesses the economic power of the visitor industry in a responsible and sustainable way to create wealth and to benefit the community of just under 290 people and their environment,” the release said.
Harrison’s Cave won for “taking what was already a mature tourism attraction and upgrading it to make it more environmentally responsible and more economically productive,” it added.
According to GINA the CTO/TravelMole awards are aimed at identifying, recognizing and showcasing sustainable tourism best practices in the Caribbean that embrace sustainable tourism concepts and core values.
