PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar yesterday congratulated Diane McTurk, Executive Director of Karanambu Lodge in the Rupununi, for having won for Guyana the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award at the recently concluded Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC 14) in Trinidad and Tobago.

This is the third occasion on which Guyana has copped this coveted award, and all the entrants are from the beautiful Rupununi district, Region 9.  The first winner was Surama Village Eco-Lodge in 2011, followed by the Rupununi Learners in 2012.
President Ramotar, during a courtesy call by McTurk yesterday, also took the opportunity to congratulate the other winners.
He told McTurk that the venture she is engaged in is in keeping with Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), and he was invited by her to visit her lodge.
He urged her to keep up the good work, noting that it is a good model for sustainable development and that he would like to see it multiplied in other areas of the country.
McTurk is especially noted for her work in rehabilitating orphaned and injured giant river otters, and is recognised as an eco-tourism pioneer. In 1983, she opened her Karanambu home to eco-tourists as the North Rupununi is teeming with wildlife and is an excellent area for fishing.
During the CTO/Travelmole Sustainable Tourism Award ceremony recently, Guyana emerged as the biggest winner, carting off three major awards: the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award, the Biodiversity Conservation Award won by the Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society, and the Heritage Award which was given to Guyana National Trust.