Small Planet Consulting Proudly Supports Surama Eco-Lodge for ETC 2009 Responsible Tourism Showcase Honoree

Vancouver, Canada – Long-time TIES member Small Planet Consulting is pleased to announce that Surama Eco-Lodge of Guyana was recognized and honored at the U.S. Educational Travel Conference (ETC), which took place in New Orleans, Louisiana from February 18-21.

As the Responsible Tourism Showcase Honoree for 2009, Surama received recognition at the Opening Plenary session as well as press and visibility at the conference. Surama Eco-lodge also received a monetary award and will be recognized and featured on the ETC website and in outreach programs throughout 2009. The exposure will result in international recognition for Surama’s community tourism programs and should serve to increase awareness of the ecological and cultural preservation efforts underway throughout Guyana.

The North Vancouver-based Small Planet Consulting played a leading role in Surama’s success. Judy Karwacki, President of SPC, has been the Tourism Director of the Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative (GSTI) – a joint project of the Guyana Tourism Authority and USAID-Guyana Trade and Investment Support project – since 2006, and has worked closely with the community of Surama, a leader in sustainable community tourism development. Judy invited Geographic Expeditions to visit Guyana on a familiarization trip in 2008, and then asked them to work with GSTI to prepare the application and nominate Surama Eco-Lodge for Responsible Tourism Showcase Honoree.

Jim Sano, Geographic Expeditions CEO, said, “Our clients are looking for opportunities to visit places where their tourism dollars contribute to local communities’ own efforts to preserve their culture, land, and traditional way of life. One can support local economies and conservation efforts by choosing to visit communities like Surama in Guyana where every dollar spent contributes to local educational, conservation, and economic development programs. Given the pressing need to develop new conservation models for the world’s remaining rainforests, it is vital for communities like Surama to thrive. Surama is a perfect example of this ideal, which is why we were so delighted to nominate them for this award.”

On the selection of Surama as the award winner, Sherry Schwarz of the ETC said, “There were some outstanding applications this year and the selection process was quite difficult, which speaks even more highly to the merit of Surama Eco-lodge’s responsible tourism programming. Many of us didn’t know about this Guyana community and were fascinated to learn about its commitment to preserving its indigenous traditions and its environment. It’s really a perfect match for the Responsible Tourism Showcase Award.”

Upon hearing of their award, Sydney Allicock spoke on behalf of Surama: “We all feel very honored to be granted such an award! We are very happy and are now aware that we are at the crossroads with community-based ecotourism, which means getting to the next level in the business. For us it also means more jobs, new young blood, training, planning and executing of the relevant activities that will continue to benefit the entire community. The award means a lot to the Eco-Lodge: more publicity, more clients, and a greater sense of ownership by management and the people of Surama. The years of continued dedication by workers are slowly paying off as a community business.”

Mr. Allicock also said the community has already decided how the award money will be used. “There has always been a problem for lights and charging batteries for clients,” he reported. “Plans are already afoot to use the funds to support a proper power source for lights, charging batteries and use of computers.” True to Surama’s conservation beliefs, the community will be investing in a solar system for the Eco-Lodge.

About Surama Eco-lodge:

The Surama Eco-lodge and all tours in and around Surama are managed and operated solely by the Indigenous Makushi People. More than 70 people in the village are employed either directly as hospitality staff, guides, cooks, artisans and drivers, or indirectly as farmers, hunters, fishermen, tailors, and construction and maintenance workers. Roughly 60% of the community’s income is now sustainably generated through tourism-related activities, with 75% of village households reporting tourism as a source of income. Surama is in the process of developing a website which will be launched soon.

About Small Planet Consulting:

Small Planet Consulting are sustainable tourism specialists, with more than 20 years of tourism industry experience. Their project portfolio reaches from North America to the Caribbean, Central America, South America and Asia. Among others, SPC has worked on tourism development projects for countries, tourism industry organizations, USAID, CIDA, OAS, IDB, British High Commission, Conservation International, Asian Productivity Organization, The International Ecotourism Society and International Institute for Peace through Tourism. For more information, contact judy@smallplanetconsulting.ca.

>> Find Judy Karwacki (Small Planet Consulting) on Ecotourism Explorer!