Vancouver, Canada - 26 February 2009

Small Planet Consulting is pleased to announce that Surama Eco-Lodge of Guyana was recognized and honoured 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.

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 her to prepare the application and nominate Surama Eco-Lodge for Responsible Tourism Showcase Honoree.

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 honoured 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.

>>> For More information on the GSTI and tourism in Guyana visit www.guyanabirding.com or www.guyana-tourism.com, contact judy [at] smallplanetconsulting.ca