Small Wings, Big Impact: Jetwing’s Story of Sustainable Transformation

Jetwing Youth Development Programme Trainees from Jetwing Lake

From the onset of Jetwing Hotels in 1973, long before sustainability was a buzzword, our Founder, the late Mr. Herbert Cooray, was committed to ensuring that tourism would benefit local communities and the environment. To him, sharing the benefits of tourism with local communities and protecting the natural beauty that drew visitors to Sri Lanka was a heartfelt belief. Jetwing Hotels’ early decisions were rooted in this philosophy, quietly laying the groundwork for a model of responsible tourism that would become central to our identity.

Transforming Spaces

Our architectural approach is to blend in, rather than stand out. Our properties are designed to reflect the character of their surroundings through regionally inspired architecture, low-impact construction, and the use of natural illumination and ventilation. In the early 1990s, we were among the first in Sri Lanka to adopt emerging clean technologies, installing a wastewater treatment plant at Jetwing Blue and later introducing vapour absorption chillers to reduce reliance on climate-intensive cooling systems. Today, these clean technologies and sustainable building methods are standard practice, integral to our commitment to creating spaces that are both beautiful and responsible.

One of our most transformative projects is Jetwing Vil Uyana in Sigiriya. What was once degraded agricultural land has been restored into Sri Lanka’s first privately owned, man-made wetland sanctuary. Designed with conservation experts, the project reintroduced native dry zone flora, revived traditional paddy farming, and created a thriving wetland ecosystem, while emulating Sri Lanka’s ancient cascade systems. Comparative ecological surveys over the last two decades show significant increases in biodiversity, with no recorded local extinctions, a testament to successful ecological restoration. 

Farmers at Jetwing Kaduruketha

Transforming Lives

Jetwing Hotels has always been dedicated to uplifting the communities where we operate. The Jetwing Youth Development Programme (JYDP), launched in 2006 alongside Jetwing Vil Uyana, has trained over 1200 youth from rural areas to be adept hospitality professionals, with many now holding key industry positions. Our Second Careers initiative empowers women over 45 years of age, offering training and employment while challenging age-related stereotypes. 

At Jetwing Kaduruketha, we’ve reimagined the traditional relationship between landowners and farmers. Owning 50 acres of paddy land, we partner with 20 farming families, providing seed funding at the start of each season. Instead of requiring repayment, we equally share the harvest, helping break the debt cycle and foster fairer, more resilient livelihoods.

Our expansion has always been guided by respect for place, people, heritage, and nature. Rather than following conventional commercial paths, we’ve invested in regions that were once overlooked. In the 1990s, we established a presence in Galle before it became a tourism hub. After the civil conflict, we were among the first to venture into Jaffna, helping reintroduce tourism to the Northern Province and consciously supporting the healing and reintegration process. Most recently, we launched Jetwing Wahawa Walauwa in Rambukkana, a town rich in ecological and cultural significance.

Associates at Jetwing Jaffna

These decisions were never driven by market trends alone. Each location was selected for its potential to offer authentic experiences and to contribute meaningfully to regional development. By entering these less-frequented destinations, we’ve helped improve infrastructure, create local employment, and support ancillary industries. This approach has also encouraged travellers to explore beyond Sri Lanka’s most visited areas, helping to distribute the benefits of tourism more equitably across the island.

Transforming Thought

For Jetwing Hotels, sustainability also includes fostering peace and reconciliation through tourism. By creating opportunities for employment, cultural exchange, and economic revival in post-conflict regions, we believe tourism can play a quiet but powerful role in rebuilding trust and unity. By nurturing mutual understanding between communities, we help create a more resilient social fabric.

Because sustainability has been a core value, many decisions came naturally to us. While the bottom-line matters, we’ve often looked beyond the numbers, taking bold risks we believed would benefit the environment and our people in the long run. Today, we’re proud to see those risks bearing fruit.

Our Founder’s philosophy was simple: do the right thing. This meant caring for people, respecting nature, and uplifting communities. With over five decades of history, we recognise that we now operate in a world that demands greater accountability and faster action. However, the familial values of honesty, integrity, passion, tenacity, and a deep love for Sri Lanka continue to guide every decision. While our language has evolved to talk about strategy and impact, the core values remain unchanged.

We call our sustainability communications ‘The Butterfly Effect’ because we believe that the changes we make today, however small, can lead to a better future. By sharing our journey of sustainability, what we have learnt, and what we hope to achieve, we aim to inspire change and create a butterfly effect.

 Solar PV Installations at Jetwing Jungle Lodge