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by Shirajiv Sirimane

The Hotels School managed by the Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) is one of the best in South Asia, said a former lecturer of the institution Lothar G. B. Kollmann from Germany.

Kollmann who was posted by the then West German Government as a lecturer in Sri Lanka from 1969 to 1972 said that the Hotel School has come of age. "When I was working at the Hotel School it did not have the equipment for training and the German government provided it as a part of our aid program to build this school."

Speaking to the Daily News at the Beach Hotel Bayroo in Beruwela which is his favourite destination in Sri Lanka he said that today the School has moved to their own premises and their equipment and training methods are among the best in the region. "Their building is up to international standards."

He recalled that during the early 1970s tourism was something new to the country and the Hotels School was near Hotel Taj Samudra. "We had a very tough recruiting procedure sans political pressure and I am proud to say that the present Tourist Board Chairman, Paddy Withana, Hotel School Principal M. Thambaiyah and many of the leading hoteliers were my students."

He said that English and Advanced level education certificates played a key role to gain entrance to the School and the course duration was three years. "The fees for a term of three months was only Rs. 100 which included accommodation and food."

He said that it was almost after three years that girls were entertained in the school and the first hotel to employ a female waitress was the Confifi Beach Hotel in Beruwela which was owned by the Furkhan family. Kollmann said that tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka were only during winter time as flights which were mostly charter, were operated only during winter. He said that Kuni and Nikamen were the main tour operators while Condor and Swiss air operated the charter flights.

He said during this time the 'Feecs' system was in place for the encashment of foreign currency. "It is strange to note that the government paid Rs. 2.25 for a US Dollar to a foreigner while a local was paid only Rs. 1.25 for the same amount. "I think the dollar traded around Rs. 6 in the black market but this was highly illegal."

He added that Customs restrictions were very heavy during the time specially for essential items such as porcelain, electrical items and even for clothes. "Once my wife had a very bad experience when the Customs officers cut one of her long night dresses in two since it was more than one yard."

He said that during the time only one-and-a-half yards were allowed to be brought into the country and some time people returning from India used to strap yards of cloth on to their bodies and smuggle them to Sri Lanka."

He said that foreigners were allowed to purchase goods from the Duty free shop which was near the Trans Asia hotel but there were no electrical items for sale. "We had restrictions but we were happy." Kollmann said that Sri Lanka's tourist industry has reached its peak. In the early 1980s and the '83 ethnic violence virtually wiped off local tourism from the international tourist map. "But today with the Peace initiative tourists arrivals have increased. If this trend continues Sri Lanka will soon be among the top 10 tourist destinations in the world."

He said that Sri Lanka is not doing enough to project its image internationally. "Most of the travel bookings in Germany are made on 'Travel Shop' advertising on television. But sadly I am yet to see Sri Lanka doing this."

He said that the all-inclusive concept has virtually killed the small-timer in the industry.

He also said that the government must do more to build the infrastructure in the county by way of a better road network. Kollmann and his wife Brigitte who had visited Sri Lanka on 28 previous occasions said that Aluthgama which is considered the capital of the Bentota tourist area is very dirty. "Something should be done about this."

He said it may be a good idea to introduce deep sea fishing as in the Maldives and advocated having a golf course in the area.

He said that the airline seat capacity especially from Germany has to improve. "How can you sell 10,000 rooms with flights offering only 2,000 seats?," he asked.

Lothar and Brigitte Kollmann said that the Beach Hotel Bayroo was a complete hotel and paid a tribute to the Manager Roshan De Silva and the staff.

He said that unwarranted restrictions on Sri Lankans should be removed. "I know many places that entertain only foreigners. This is a shame for your own country. This is apartheid in your own country."

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