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TRAVEL
Tourism industry:
Quality essential for sustainability
Harshini Perera
There is a necessity for Government intervention to form a private
hotel schools association for the betterment of the tourism industry.
A quality mechanism should be in place together with the association
of private hotel schools to ensure a sustainable industry in the future,
Cross Border Academy, Founder and Managing Director, Yatila Wijemanne
told Daily News Business.
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Cross Border Academy Principal Rauf Marfyne, Cross Border
Academy Founder and Managing Director Yatila Wijemanne, Renuka
Hotels PLC Joint Managing Director Arnila Thambiayah and Wissen
Academy Founder and President Breyvan Tan at the program launch.
Picture by Wimal Karunathilaka |
He was speaking at the launch of a new hospitality management program
by Cross Border Academy - School of Hospitality Management (CBA). Cross
Border Academy was affiliated with Singapore’s Dimensions Education
Group, one of the largest and highly reputed educational institutes in
Singapore established in 1980. The accreditation and quality controlling
of Cross Border Academy is undertaken by Singapore’s Wissen Academy
which is a partner body of Dimensions Education Group.
“We look at the quality of the education we provide which is the
differentiator from other hospitality educational institutes. Nearly 100
students graduated in the last year and 35 students are graduated every
four months. It will create efficient and necessary human capital to the
industry,” he said.
The primary aim of establishing Cross Border Academy was the need in
Sri Lanka for a professional hospitality management institution, thus
enabling students from low and middle income earning families to reach
towards an internationally recognized hospitality management program in
Sri Lanka.
The program in hospitality for students coming from middle and low
income earning families has been introduced with the authorization of
the Academy’s educational partners in Singapore. The introduction of
this program will ensure industrial attachments for all successful
graduates of Cross Border Academy. They will be guaranteed job
placements on successful completion of the program.
For ideal service in hotels a guest has to be served by four hotel
staff. Sri Lanka currently does not have adequate human resources to
fulfil this accordingly, Renuka Hotels PLC, Joint Managing Director,
Arnila Thambiayah said.
Cross Border Academy had a 150 percent growth with an increasing
number of students each year. The academy has been able to bridge the
gap between education and job placement currently with 100 percent
success rate. Cross Border Academy offers flexible instalment schemes
coupled with banks to give student loans.
SiA commences daily services to Tokyo
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will commence twice-daily flights to Tokyo’s
Haneda Airport from October 31, offering customers more travel options
to and from the Japanese Capital City. Complementing the current
twice-daily flights to Narita Airport, Singapore Airlines will serve
Tokyo with 4x daily services.
Haneda Airport offers business travellers an extensive range of
domestic flight connections within Japan, hence reducing the hassle of
transit within the city. Business travellers will also appreciate its
proximity to Tokyo’s commercial districts.
The first service SQ634, will depart Singapore at 3.40 pm and will
arrive in Haneda at 11.05 pm. While SQ633 will depart Haneda at 12.30 am
and will arrive in Singapore the next morning at 6.55 am.
The second flight SQ636 will depart Singapore at 9.50 pm and will
arrive in Haneda at 5.15 am the next day. The return flight SQ635 will
depart at 6.25 am from Haneda and will arrive in Singapore at 12.50 pm.
The new services to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport will be operated using
B777-300ER aircraft, which offers the lavishly-designed New First Class
and the most spacious seats in the New Business Class. The New Economy
Class also provides passengers more comfort with increased legroom.
Onboard SQ638 from Singapore to Narita and SQ637 from Narita to
Singapore, passengers can experience the renowned SIA A380. Configured
with the Singapore Airlines Suites that provide passengers their very
own haven of tranquillity, award-winning New Business Class and New
Economy Class, the A380 offers ultimate comfort in passenger travel.
To commemorate the 4x daily services to Tokyo, the SQ Sales Office in
Colombo is offering promotional fares in both Business and Economy Class
travel. Special promotional all-inclusive Business Class fares are now
on offer to Tokyo.
Tickets must be purchased before October 20 and the travel period out
of Colombo is between October 31 and December 12. |
