Travel

Tourism a leading industry soon - Dr. Godahewa
 

Tourism will be the leading industry in Sri Lanka due to the rapid increase in the number of tourist arrivals said Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa at the Graduation ceremony of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) in Colombo on Tuesday.

Dr. Godahewa said unlike certain industries, tourism does not depend on foreign assistance for its sustenance. Nature has gifted a salubrious climate, plush landscape and bio-diversity to attract a large number of visitors to the country annually.

"The unmatched service standards offered to visitors make the destination more attractive and a country that should be visited.

The tourism industry needs more trained personnel in hotels to retain the reputation of the leisure sector", he said.

Tourism is the fourth major foreign exchange earner in the country and the largest employer on the globe. The number of people employed in the tourism sector across the globe exceed 3.5 million. SLITHM presented awards to 108 graduates and diploma holders at its 32nd Graduation Ceremony. Many of the awardees had gained employment in leading hotels in the country and overseas.

Dr. Godahewa said the tourism industry has revived and the demand for qualified hoteliers is high. Graduands should continue to study, be experimental and innovative at their workplaces.

Managing Director, Aitken Spence Hotels, Malin Hapugoda said that the tourism industry needs around 18,000 hotel rooms in addition to the current number of rooms to cater to the tourist arrival target of 2.5 million by 2016."There will be a dearth of qualified hoteliers in three to four years and there is a need to have more professionals in the leisure industry", he said.

Director General SLITHM, Dr. Suranga Silva said steps have been taken to affiliate more institutions into the training program and conduct courses in foreign universities. "Sri Lanka is in the midst of becoming a knowledge hub in the region. The labour force of our country represents the educated manpower in South Asia and therefore Sri Lanka is not far from becoming the wonder of Asia", he said.

LF

Banker wins Presidential Award

by Gamini FERNANDO

Terrorism, negative travel advice and the Tsunami, affected the tourism industry enormously. Rather than promoting tourism almost all stakeholders were busy after December 2004 repairing and refurbishing their damaged properties and looking for grants and soft loans from financial institutions to get back to business.

The Government launched the 'Rebuilding Sri Lanka' program just after the Tsunami and a banker named Ralph Gunawardena decided to contribute his mite to this noble cause.

The idea of helping the tourism industry came to his mind as tourism is the 4th largest foreign exchange earner in the country and nearly a million people's livelihood was affected directly and indirectly as a result of the Tsunami.

Gunawardena has travelled extensively in Sri Lanka, not only to see places but also to learn about the country.

At the time the Tsunami struck he had enough information and material to prepare a very comprehensive documentary on Sri Lanka.

Though he didn't have any experience in either preparing a brochure or documentary, his desire to help Sri Lanka was great.

Though a Christian, Gunawardena has always been proud of the history and the archaeological contents of the ancient Buddhist capital - Anuradhapura. He was waiting for an opportunity to promote Anuradhapura as well as Sigiriya.

The Tsunami compelled him to go ahead with his documentary. He was in a dilemma. Who will write the script? Who will do the filming? Who will be the narrator? And most importantly, where were the funds? He decided to use his own resources and began writing the script. He was surprised when the script came out well.

He contracted Arun Dias Bandaranaike to do the narration and Rupavahini Corporation for production. Rupavahini assigned Chandana Senevirathna with the task. Within 06 months production was over and the master copy titled 'Sri Lanka - The Pearl of the Indian Ocean' was received. Gunawardena made 1,500 copies of this DVD in Singapore. He is proud to have designed the DVD cover and the brochure, to be given with every DVD, free of charge.

Although he tried to get sponsors to cover a part of the cost, as it was too much to bear alone, he was unsuccessful. For nearly 07 months, he was busy with his first documentary.

Monday to Friday it was work at the bank.

Evenings and weekends he was busy with the documentary and when the final DVD came out with cover and brochure, he was delighted with the outcome. There was no press conference or a launch of the DVD due to lack of funds. Whilst doing the documentary he collected information on foreign VIPs who came to Sri Lanka in order to support the country just after the Tsunami. He sent them copies of his DVD along with a letter informing them that Sri Lanka could be re-built on tourism alone, provided foreign countries encouraged their citizens to come over as tourists. He has sent some 300 copies to foreign VIPs and another 400 to Sri Lankans living abroad, at his own expense, requesting them to promote Sri Lanka in their own countries.After seeing the documentary, the Tourist Board requested him to do another. 'Sri Lanka - A Land Like No Other', became the Tourist Board's official documentary for nearly 2 1/2 years. Gunawardena has supplied nearly 4,500 copies to the Tourist Board for their official use.

His crowning moment came when 'Sri Lanka - A Land Like No Other' was telecast live by Rupavahini to all SAARC countries just before the inauguration of SAARC Summit in Colombo in August 2009. On June 15 he was invited to the Presidential Awards at the BMICH.

It was an evening for travel and tourism industry stakeholders and not for bankers.

Dankotuwa showcases hotelware

Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC (DP) participated in the Hotel Show 2010 with new and innovative products and is encouraged by the massive response received. DP is the most sought after porcelain supplier in Sri Lanka mainly on account of its wide range of product shapes and willingness to do customized surface designs.

Sri Lankan chefs have become more innovative and more demanding, wanting to display their creations in different porcelain shapes that enhance the value of their creations. DP manufactures the widest range of shapes in the domestic market and is therefore the preferred choice. DP products have several superior features of which chip resistance, scratch resistance and thermal shock resistance are extremely important to the hotel catering and restaurant sector.

DP has established a close rapport with F& B Managers, Chief Stewards and Chefs and have been providing advice on the selection of appropriate shapes and products for different service requirements. Initially the demand for new shapes was mainly from hotels in and around Colombo, but now there is a significant increase in interest from the rest of the country as well.

As Sri Lankan customers as well as foreign tourists and business visitors are more sophisticated now, their food must be presented on elegantly designed porcelain ware. Even buffet tables need be adorned by fancy dishes and very large bowls. DP is known worldwide as a producer of beautiful fancy shapes, and large items, which most other factories do not make. DP is now geared to be a partner in enhancing the culinary presentations of the hotel sector.