ASMET launches website
The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism Sri Lanka
(ASMET), launched their website asmetsrilanka.com at ASMETS Annual
General Meeting held recently in Colombo.
Speaking at the event, Suresh D deMel said, "Tourism is an industry
with vast potential to fast track post conflict socio-economic recovery
in Sri Lanka. However, such recovery is only possible if the peace
dividend is distributed equitably among all stakeholders, especially the
host communities. Empowering the SME sector in tourism is extremely
crucial in this context. The Small and Medium Enterprises in Sri Lanka's
tourism industry is mostly rural and community based. They are by and
large a vast informal sector. They lack the many skills and linkages
that are necessary to derive the true benefits from a highly competitive
industry like tourism. However, they will prevail and provide services
to the tourist. These services most often, do not meet the standards of
responsible tourism. In fact, some of them would be socially
unacceptable, damaging to the environment, unhygienic, unsafe,
unethical, illegal and detrimental to the image of Sri Lanka's tourism
at large.
"ASMET members operate intimately with the informal sector.
Therefore, ASMET members have the best opportunity to inspire and
empower this segment of our community, to regularize and formalize them
and to ensure good practices among them. However, the first priority for
us would be to strengthen our own association and to empower the formal
SME-the members of ASMET, some of whom are also lagging behind in
capacity to provide good services.
"Strengthening ASMET's institutional capacity is our Number One
priority. We must have capacity to organize the sector, provide tangible
services to our members and be able to support a deep and wide
membership. In order to do this, SME's must be recognized for what they
are. Platforms must be created for dialog and strong bonds, trust and
linkages with the Government and the larger private sector must be
established. We must develop and attitude and culture of inclusivity in
the true form of the word. And, most importantly, we must be able to
attract the necessary resources for institutional capacity building.
"We know that tourism is a thrust sector for Sri Lanka's
socio-economic recovery. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has in no uncertain
terms spelled out the need for SME development and regional empowerment
through his ambitious manifesto: the Mahinda Chintanaya Idiri Dekma.
Therefore, I appeal to all stakeholders to unite and support ASMET to
strengthen its institutional capacity. Thereby ASMET will be able to
help fast track the development of the SME sector in Tourism and ensure
an equitable, sustainable and responsible tourist industry in Sri Lanka.
"Thanks to the great voluntary contribution by our past presidents
and the Executive Committees, ASMET has come this far. However, we have
a long way to go. We must be a "bottom up" organization and proactive
engagement and support of our membership is most vital at this time.
"In conclusion, I wish to thank the Ministry of Economic Development,
the NCED, the SLTDA, the SLTPB, the SLITHM, SLAITO, THASL, other
industry partners and our members for the support extended to me and
ASMET over the past year," he said. (MFJ)
|
