Jaffna, Sri Lanka Tourism - Landmark Subhas Hotel rising

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Tourism Booming

Friday, June 29, 2012

28 Jun, 2012 10:30:50

By Charitha Fernando

Sri Lanka hospitality school hopes to fill skills void

June 27, 2012 (LBO) - A leisure industry school linked to a UK-based professional body said it is stepping to fill a growing need for leisure sector executives as the island sees a tourism boom after the end of a three decades long war.

"Everybody is complaining that they don't have trained and committed staff," Eraj Abeywardane, director studies, of Imperial Institute of Hospitality and Leisure (IIHL) said.The school is offering diplomas and higher diplomas covering business management, finance, planning, human resources, marketing and sales in collaboration with Institute of Hospitality, a UK based professional body focusing on the leisure and hospitality industry.

Officials say Sri Lankan hoteliers have to move beyond the islands signature 'big smile' to raise the standard of service to be in par with competitors like India, Thailand and Singapore.
"In the luxury market you need to have more than a big smile and have a sense of service," Philippe Rossiter, the Chief Executive of UK's Institute of Hospitality, a frequent visitor to the island said.
"In Sri Lanka there is a lack of anticipation of what the customer is wanting next. What is needed is to be one step ahead of the customer and pre-empt what they are looking for."

Sri Lanka's tourism sector is booming after the end of a three decades war in 2009. The Indian Ocean island is targeting 950,000 tourists in 2012, up from a record 855,000 in 2012. Up to May 2012 arrivals were up over 60,000 to 387,000.

But during its war Sri Lanka has lost experienced staff to the Middle East and Europe. For training institutes it is an opportunity to fill a market need.

Sri Lanka needs around 26,350 hotel rooms and 354,000 hotel staff by 2016 to meet a national target of wooing 2.5 million tourists.

The IIHL is also looking to attract students from the Maldives, a top competitor in the region.
"We are looking into Male because our accreditation is for Sri Lanka and Maldives both," Abeywardane said.
IIHL said it had invested 25 million rupees on a state of the art kitchen and other facilities and also will also conduct craft courses in culinary art, food and beverage, housekeeping and front office operations.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Promising strategy by Sri Lankan Government in boosting bi-lateral trade through tourism

I feel the era of Sri Lanka has arrived. It can now fast forward to a very enviable growth in the near future if the cards are played right. The gates have been opened up wide. I can see the all the right moves being made like diplomatic visits to all the neighbors. Time has come for FDI into the country in a big way. If Jaffna too is developed fast with adequate infrastructure like roads , hospitals and hotels it will contribute in a big way to Sri Lankan economy. Jaffna was like a paralyzed limp. We need to make it functional fast and this will lead to a rejuvenated growth of the Sri Lankan economy.

As the tourism develops ensure that sustainable development is taken care of from the beginning. This connects business with environment and also takes care of social causes. A holistic approach. More employment will be generated. I think Jaffna tourist spots should be modified and uplifted. People of Jaffna deserves a new lease of life . I hope tourism will help in achieving it. My family has started contributing to Jaffna economy by starting a Hotel. It will be functional by July 2012.

I feel in India Sri Lanka needs to be promoted as a Tourist hot spot. The efforts taken by the Govt is commendable as i read a recent article about Sri Lankan diplomat meeting Kerala (closest Indian state after Tamil Nadu) chief minister Oommen Chandy. Infact The kerala chief minister has given a thumps up to the approach on increasing bi-lateral trade. There are talks regarding opening a consulate in Kerala and also starting a ferry between Kochi and Colombo. People in India needs to know that Sri Lanka is a very good tourism destination that is pristine and affordable. Especially the 4 south Indian states like Kerala , Andra Pradesh , Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with its IT hubs have a lot of disposable incomes and people need new Tourist locations. Hope to see Sri Lankan stall in the emergingkerala2012.org that is happening and likewise hope to see Kerala taking part in Sri Lanka Hotel, Hospitality & Food exhibition 2012 happening in October this year. Its like opening 2 gateways in two countries for Tourism to open up.

Appreciate the Sri Lankan Govt’s efforts in the right direction. Hope for the best of both worlds. God Bless and God Speed.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Sri Lanka calling - We are hiring

Sri Lanka - one of the most beautiful Islands in the world!

Passionate about working in Hospitality sector in a resurgent and promising economy that is Jaffna , Sri Lanka ? Ready to be a part of History in the making by contributing to Jaffna Development by being a part of the workforce? Has knowledge about working in a Hotel? We have the Job for you. Please contact - +94773986075

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Jaffna tourism gets a boost

The Iconic Subhas Hotel in Jaffna will be online in next 2 months. July , 2012 the hotel is expected become fully operational. The countdown has already started. This star class hotel will have modern facilities . Tourism is on an upswing in Jaffna . The goverment of Sri Lanka has planned an extensive large scale infrastructure development programme for the overall upliftment of Jaffna penninsula.

The need of the hour is good infrastructure that supports Hospitality industry. Subash Hotel management is working 24/7 to fill in the crucial gap at the moment to address this need.

As per Reuters news the below statistics will throw more light on the tourism growth:

COLOMBO, June 12 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals in May jumped 17.5 percent from a year earlier, government data showed on Tuesday. The number of visitors has risen every month since a 25-year civil war ended in May 2009.

The following table shows tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka:

2012 2011 Change
------------ ---------- -----------
(in %)
May 57,506 48,943 17.5
Jan-May 387,622 327,902 18.2
Jan-Dec 855,975

The island nation's tourism board expects over one million tourists in 2012 with revenue of more than $1 billion, 20 percent higher than last year's $830.3 million. Revenue from tourism has risen 26 percent to $340 million in the first four months of 2012 from the same period last year.

Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange earners for Sri Lanka's $59 billion economy, along with remittances from expatriate workers, garments and tea. ($1 = 132.0000 Sri Lanka rupees)

Early bird Tourists have already made a visit to this great historical place called Jaffna. The details of their visits are documented in the section of "Sri Lanka tourism websites".

The tourist hotel has a 30 year old legacy. It started as a Hotel , was used as a Military headquarters and now its getting ready again to perform the rightful role as a hospitality concern contributing to the economy and tourism of Jaffna. The url gives details of hotel history as appeared in a leading Indian news paper : Indian Newspaper Article

The re-launch will happen in 2 months time from now. Godspeed and Godbless.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

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