Bureaucracy must minimise to improve travel industry

Shirajiv Sirimane

"The scourge of bureaucracy in the officialdom should be minimised if the travel industry is to proceed further," said the former Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) Paddy Vithana.

Speaking to 'Daily News Business' he said the certificates that the Hoteliers have to obtain from various State

 institutions prior to a project, discourage them to invest since it is a dragging process. "They are pushed from one place to another and innumerable documentary perfecting is involved," he said.

He said that one of the main reasons for the Maldives to surge ahead in tourism is their flexibility when it comes to granting environmental approvals.

"However in Sri Lanka there is a controversy in the 100 meter buffer zone rule for coastal areas and environmental concerns when building beach bungalows," he said.

He said that beach bungalows are sold at exorbitant rates and are very popular among tourists. "This lapse influences tourism miserably and Sri Lanka is yet to produce a beach bungalow of this nature," he said.

Asked as to why he did not try to mediate red tape he said that the time

was not enough. "Remember I was in office less than two years," he said. Vithana said that it was during his time that they decided to issue visa on arrival for South Asian Region countries and today this has led to Indian arrivals being the highest to the country.

This move was backed up by an open sky policy agreement, which was very positive. "Today Indian flights have increased to over 100 per week," he said.

He also said that more promotions are needed to woo more tourists. Vithana said that the Gulf is an important area as there are many expatriate workers to tap.

Speaking on the travel advisories he said that one should not canvass to get them removed. "Let them take their time and rescind the advisory," he said.

Vithana who is now a Director in Pegasus Reef Wattala and Giriltale hotel said that more aggressive champagne in needed to promote the image of Sri Lanka overseas.

Jetwing wins PATA grand award victory

Jetwing announ- ces their victory of a PATA Grand Award in the Education and Training category. The Grand Awards are given to the four "Best-of-Show" entries in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards.

This year a total of 336 entries were vying for the 24 Gold Awards in varying categories. Apart from these, four "Best-of-Show" Grand Awards were awarded in the categories of Marketing, Heritage, Environment and Education and Training, which, Jetwing had won. Other Grand Award winners included India, Macau and Six Senses Spa's Thailand.

The entry in the winning category was for their Jetwing Youth Development Project; 'We Dreamed a Dream', which was conceptualised and implemented.

At their newest property Jetwing Vil Uyana, located in Sigiriya. Planned to bridge the skills gap and equip local young people for employment, the project provided hospitality and English language training free to school leavers from disadvantaged farming families in the Sigiriya area.

The aims of the 'We Dreamed a Dream' project was to solve the human resources shortage in Jetwing's properties, especially Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sigiriya, pass some of the benefits of tourism to the local community and provide gainful employment to youngsters.

The project was launched in January 2006 and offered 120 jobs for unemployed in the Rotawewa and Kimbissa areas.

One month since commencement of their six months training the students were selected to different areas of the hotel operation by a simple but yet an effective 'Personality Profile Test'. Craft training commenced in front office, house keeping, food and beverage and kitchen operations.

The objective of making these students gainfully employed was a tremendous success when 50% of the students graduated and organised their own passing out ceremony, which was held in June 2006. Thereafter, they were absorbed into the staff cadre of Jetwing Vil Uyana. "Jetwing Hotels has always taken pride in setting new trends in Sri Lanka and offering their clientele luxury in the form of personalised service. Jetwing Vil Uyana is one such example.

Corporate Social Responsibility plays a pivotal role in every aspect of Jetwing. Our emphasis over the past years has been on people's development and community involvement", said, Ruwan Samarasinghe, Managing Director of Jetwing Hotels.

Commenting on Jetwing Hotels' victory, President and CEO of PATA Peter de Jong, said "It is one of only four "Best-of-Show" awards and a fitting accolade for both the campaign and the Jetwing Hotels' sustained efforts to create an excellent education and training programme."