Guyana cops 3 of the 6 CTO/ TravelMole Sustainable Tourism Awards

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:02 by GxMedia

L to R Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Indranauth Haralsingh; Michelle Kalamandeen of the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society, Dianne Mc Turk of Karanambo, Nirvana Persaud of the National Trust and Shawn Mc Grath of Atta Lodge.

Guyana has, for the second consecutive year, emerged as the biggest winners at the 2013 Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)/TravelMole Sustainable Tourism Awards, having been awarded three of the six Sustainable Awards, the Ministry of Tourism here said in a statement.

Other submissions from the destination received notable mention in the other categories where submissions were made. The 2013 Awards comprised six categories covering all aspects of sustainability, from overall excellence, to accommodation, community, heritage and biodiversity.

In 2012, Guyana won the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award, the Community Benefit Award and the Biodiversity Conservation Award.   In 2011, Surama shared the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award with Barbados

This year, the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award was won by Karanambu Lodge Inc., known for providing guests with the opportunity to experience the wildlife of Karanambu.

The National Trust of Guyana was awarded the Heritage Protection Award for its work in preserving and promoting the nation’s patrimony so that the present and future generations will access and enjoy the richness of Guyana‘s heritage.

The Biodiversity Award went to the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society. The Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust; Atlantis Paradise Island in The Bahamas and the Association Evasion Tropicale Guadeloupe all received special mention in the category.

Other winners included The Puerto Rico Tourism Company who copped the Destination Stewardship Award with the Conservation International Guyana receiving special mention in this category.  Also commended in this category were Guadeloupe’s AQUARIUM de la Guadeloupe; Aruba’s Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort; and Sandals Resorts International.

Winner of the Sustainable Accommodation Award was Tryall Club and Villas in Jamaica where members and guests enjoy the beauty of nature in its many forms: from lush hillsides and vibrant seascapes to abundant plant life and local species.  Almost Paradise Cottages and Restaurant in Grenada; Community and Tourism Services Ltd., Guyana (CATS); and Accra Beach Hotel and Spa in Barbados received special mention.

The Community Benefit Award was won by Bowden Pen Farmers’ Association in Jamaica, a community based organization in the Upper Rio Grande Valley in the eastern parish of St. Thomas with a membership of 27 persons who are divided in two livelihood streams – agriculture and tourism. Guyana’s Aranaputa Community Based Tourism and The Bahamas Cape Eleuthera Island School were also highly commended.

The adjudicators of submissions comprised an esteemed panel of tourism specialists – Ms. Ena Harvey, the hemispheric specialist for agro tourism at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA); Ms. Seleni Matus, the senior advisor on destinations at Sustainable Travel International and Ms. Gail Henry, the CTO’s Sustainable Tourism Product Specialist.

The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana congratulates the three winners of this year’s CTO/ TravelMole Sustainable Tourism Awards at the STC-14 Awards Ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad. 

Guyana’s tourism, hospitality and trade operators and businesses continue to experience positive growth and experience an increase in investments, through the encouragement and support of the Minister Irfaan Ali; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce (a.g) and the Government of Guyana.

We commend the efforts of those who did not win this year but encourage them to continue striving for success.