Personnel from indigenous communities were among those recently exposed to the principles of ecolodge design and planning, providing participants with a strong theoretical foundation through a five-day workshop facilitated by Professor Hitesh Mehta, an award-winning sustainable tourism and ecotourism consultant.
According to the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), in collaboration with the Guyana Development Initiative (GDI), it hosted Professor Mehta to conduct the five-day Ecolodge Design and Planning Workshop.
In a post on its Facebook page, the GTA said that a site visit to a location along the Mahaica River offered a hands-on learning experience, incorporating metaphysical exercises to deepen the participants’ connection to the environment.
During the workshop, participants were tasked with developing a conceptual site plan for the area.
This challenging group assignment culminated in presentations at the end of the week, with each concept reviewed by a panel of architectural experts.
The GTA noted that Professor Mehta is recognised as one of the world’s leading authorities, practitioners, and researchers on sustainable tourism/ecotourism, physical planning and the landscape and architectural aspects of ecolodges.
