‘Lanka on right track in tourism’

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

Sri Lanka is on the right track benefitting from the growth in the tourism sector. The need of the hour is comprehensive planning which is necessary to develop related areas simultaneously to sustain the prospects of overall growth, veteran of the hospitality trade Joe B. Walles told Daily News Business.

If one intends to embark on a career, in the hospitality industry, basically one should be cut out for it, have passion for the job, and the right attitude, these are the qualities that will benefit on the long run, he said.

Sri Lanka's hospitality industry is growing and it has recorded impressive performance over the past years, said Walles, Director of a supplying company in the food industry, ‘Joe Walles Catering Pty Ltd,’ which is a thriving business in Australia, a Fellow member of the Institute of Hospitality.

A pioneer in catering business in Sri Lanka and owner of Wind Mill restaurant, which earned a good reputation in the local food industry. The restaurant mainly catered to the expatriate services staff.

Walles displayed his capabilities being the first secretary of the Ceylon Tourist Association and was also the founder executive secretary of the Ceylon Amateur Swimming Association.

An international hotel in Colombo spotted his talents and offered him a job at the food and beverage section. This offer was rare as hotels in the caliber of Intercontinental did not employ locals at that time. However, he declined the offer as family obligation took priority over career. This opportunity was given after completing a successful assignment in Bali and returned to Australia where he served at Hilton Melbourne.

Set up Joe Walles Catering service and branched out into restaurant related businesses besides catering. He imported food stuff from several countries including Sri Lanka and new Asian Food Centre. He was involved in numerous community work and was instrumental in organizing many cultural events with troupes from Sri Lanka.

Reminiscing Walles said, “the most significant occasion in the business was catering for 5,050 guests at the commissioning of Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, which was also graced by the then Governor, William Gopallawa.

The largest gathering I catered for besides many other functions, several of which exceeded a thousand guests.

“Catering is a very demanding career, needs the right ingredients if not one could lose its reputation easily. The industry needs to improve on several fronts, dress code, etiquette, discipline and punctuality. With these factors in place, catering can be a rewarding avenue of employment, he said.