Eastern youth take to hospitality trade

Youth in the Eastern Province have grabbed the opportunity to join the hospitality trade. This was apparent when a hospitality training course that sought to enrol 30 students resulted in over 70 youth turning up for enrolment in Pasikuddah on Monday (18).

The foundation course in hospitality training is being offered at The Calm Resort in Passikudah by the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in collaboration with the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association on the initiative of the Minister of Tourism Development John Amaratunga.

“The Ministry of Tourism Development is committed to providing a rewarding career to the long suffering youth in this region. Though new hotels have come up in this area, the required human resource development has not taken place. With the introduction of this course, we have laid the foundation for a rewarding hospitality career for the youth of this region,” said Minister John Amaratunga speaking at the launch of the training program.

“The President and Prime Minister have both made it very clear that there will be no room for discrimination. That is the basis on which we are introducing these programs and the Government will go to any extent to find solutions to the problems faced by the youth. My Ministry is committed to the training and development of hospitality industry personnel across the country,” said Minister Amaratunga.

The courses offered at The Calm in Passikudah will be conducted by a faculty of lecturers seconded from the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management in Colombo. Once the foundation courses are completed, basic level courses will be introduced, leading up to management level.

The Tourism Minister revealed that there is a heavy demand for trained hospitality personnel in the Eastern and Southern Provinces.

“Last month we introduced this same course in Hambantota. I have just been informed that all 30 youth who were enrolled for the one month training program have been grabbed by the industry on completion of the course. My Ministry is making arrangements to introduce this training program wherever there is a demand for it. With hundreds of new hotels opening up across the country, there is no longer any need for our youth to go abroad in search of jobs. There are plenty of jobs available here but the youth must be properly trained. This is what we are focusing on,” he said.

Speaking about the tourism potential in Passikudah, Minister Amaratunga noted that the concept of a season and off season was a myth and there was no valid reason for such a classification. 

“The weather in Passikudah in particular and the Eastern coast in general is perfect for tourism all year round. The Tourism Ministry will work towards promoting this region as a year round destination. We have been told that the beach in Passikudah is identical to the beaches found in the Maldives. We will keep this in mind in our marketing efforts,” he said.

By a coincidence it was revealed that the latest luxury resort to be opened in Passikudah, Sun Aqua, is owned and operated by a Maldivian hotel group. “It seems the Maldivians have recognised the similarity of the beaches and invested in setting up luxury hotels here. In this scenario, I don’t see why Sri Lankans should spend large amounts to travel to the Maldives when the same experience could be had right here in this country at a fraction of the cost,” noted Minister Amaratunga.

He gave an assurance that issues faced by the hoteliers in the region will be swiftly addressed and solutions found in the shortest possible time. This was following a one to one meeting with the hoteliers in the region, who brought their issues to the attention of the Minister. The hoteliers were appreciative of the fact that this was the first time that the Minister in charge of the subject and all relevant officials had visited them and inquired about the issues faced by them and discussed plans to develop the tourism infrastructure.

Members of Parliament from the region, Ali Zaheer Moulana and S. Yogeswaran were also associated with the Minister at the discussion. Among the officials who participated in the discussion were Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Ministry Secretary, Janaka Sugathadasa, Additional Secretary, Shiranee Weerakoon, Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management Chairman Sunil Dissanayake and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority officials.

Minister Amaratunga said the measures taken following the meeting will be reviewed in a month at a meeting that will take place at the Ministry with the participation of the hotel representatives.