HISTORY (2015 - 2016)

Year - 2015...The Tourism Leaders’ Summit, which deliberated on a range of current topics with an emphasis on promoting MICE tourism and tourism opportunities was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) on September 25th. Organised by the students of first batch the Executive Diploma in Tourism, Event and Hospitality Management (EDTEHM) as their study assignment of Public Private Partnership and MICE Tourism modules of the University of Colombo (UOC), the summit was themed, ‘Billions of Tourists, Billions of Opportunities: Think Globally, Act Locally’.

The first Tourism Leaders’ Summit was convened with the Sri Lankan 'Ayubowan' and much pomp pageantry amidst the swirling, somersaulting Kandyan dancers to welcome the distinguished guests. The eclectic and experienced panel of speakers was carefully selected to address every aspect of meeting the needs of ‘One Billion Tourists with One Billon Opportunities’. Interestingly, it presented both the sides of the tourism story—mass Vs high end tourism.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) made history in joining the UOC to sign a Letter of Interest under the leadership of Hon John Amaratunga, the newly appointed Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Affairs. This venture will provide UOC students the opportunity to take the industry to new heights. The Letter of Interest is expected to link the industry with the programmes followed by the students to conduct research in issues related to tourism. Further, two Letters of Interest were also signed between UOC and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority as well as between the university and the Mount Lavinia Hotel. Through such ventures, the university hopes to form industry partnerships when conducting research on tourism related subjects and thereby, gather information in order to take effective steps to develop the industry. This venture is also endorsed by Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), The Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) and The Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Tourism (ASMET).

As an organisation that performs a key role in educating tourism practitioners, the UOC is now able to contribute more actively towards a knowledge based economy. As a start, Dr Rohantha Athukorala, Chairman – SLTPB handed over 80 key topics on issues of the industry to Dr D A C Suranga Silva, Course Coordinator of the Tourism, Economics and Hospitality Management Courses – UOC. These will become the dissertation topics for the students. The findings of these topics will then be presented back to the SLTPB where it will be accessible to the industry through the Sri Lanka Tourism library. Further, plans are also underway to workout the presentation of an honorarium for research students.

In addition, the presentation made by Malik Fernando, Director – MJF Group was extremely engaging and impressive. He stressed that Sri Lanka should focus on experience based high end tourism, as there is much potential for the country to develop in that sector. “The world has changed, tourists are not looking at the beaches or the conventional model. They are looking at experiences; meeting Sri Lankans, learning how to cook Sri Lankan food and understanding our cultural traditions. They are far more experiential,” he said. Adding that the fact that the country remains to be pristine and unspoilt as it was in a tourism cocoon due to the 30-year conflict, is our biggest advantage, he said that authorities should not merely look at numbers.

“The way we at Dilmah and Resplendent Ceylon are looking at it is, we want to achieve USD 2.5 billion like the government, but we want to do it with 500,000 tourists not 2.5 million. When you go for mass market tourism, there is a massive impact on the environment, we do not grow enough food in this country. But there are other counties such as Maldives and Bhutan, which have gone for high value-added tourism. I urge all of you to develop in your master plans to take advantage of the fact that for 30 years we did not have the ubiquitous, mass-market international brands. We have a few high end brands coming in but the fact that we do not have skyscrapers and 10,000 to 20,000 roomed resorts is an advantage; because if we had that we would actually turn off exactly the kind of tourist we want lure in. The reason they want to come here is because it is pristine, our people are largely unspoiled and they are still warm,” he said. He further added, “what we need is high value tourism. We need, not numbers, but we need high spend per visitor.”

The information shared by Dilip S Samarasinghe, Director (Media and Publicity) – Board of Investment was insightful and gave the audience an idea of the economic potential of Tourism in Sri Lanka. Another notable and educational address was by Rohan Jayaweera, COO – Antyra Solutions who spoke on digital branding. Shashika Kahadawela, Assistant Manager (Sustainable and Green Initiatives) – Jetwing Group spoke on Sustainable and Green Initiatives for Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Mehdi Serrour, General Manager – Shangri-La Hotel & Resorts Sri Lanka too made an engaging presentation on the core values promoted by Shangri-La Hotel & Resorts and how they went hand in hand with that of Sri Lankan traditions. Further, Paddy Withana, Chairman – Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Dr Rohantha Athokorala, Prof Athula Ranasinghe, Dean (Faculty of Arts) – UOC, Steven Bradie Milles, CEO – Colombo Academy of Hospitality at SLIIT/William Angliss Institute, Paddy Paul, Managing Director – Golden Isle Travels, Indika Vithanage, President – Sri Lanka Institute of National Tourist Guide Lecturers, Aasim Mukthar, CEO – Sri Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd.also made interesting and engaging presentations on a host of related topics.

Apart from the educational enrichment, the audience was aptly treated to exciting cultural entertainment. The vibrant dances included, dance of the tea pluckers, low country dances, the devil dance and most fascinatingly accompanying of the distinguished guests along with renowned Chef (Dr) Publis Silva to the stage for the group photograph.

The summit was moderated by a panel of academics and industry experts including Dr Sepali Sudasinghe, Senior consultant – Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), Aasim Mukthar, D L Nihal, Senior Economist (Economic Research Department) – Central Bank, Gayan Pereis, Manager (Sri Lankan Holidays) – SriLankan Airlines, Srilal Mitthapala, Institute of Hospitality (Sri Lankan Chapter), Saman Maldeni, Director (Export Services) – Export Development Board and Kanthi Bassnayaka, Director – Asia Pacific Management Institute.

Promoting Sri Lanka as a preferred destination for Tourism, with a holistic approach, which focused on the aspects of investment, exports, people, culture, cuisine, government and e-commerce was the core objective of the summit. Another highlight was the presentation of the first Professional Excellence and National Contribution for Sri Lanka Tourism Development award to Chef (Dr) Publis Silva, in recognition of his contribution to the industry.

Delivering the keynote speech at the event, Sunil Dissanayake, Director – BMICH shared interesting ideas on how to succeed in the first three months of employment in the first job or in a new job role. He stated, “transition to new roles are the most challenging times in the professional lives of managers and leaders. Success or failure during the first few months is a strong predictor of overall success or failure in the job.” He added, “the good news on transitions is that you get a chance to start afresh and make needed changes in an organisation. But transitions are also periods of acute vulnerability because you lack established working relationships and a detailed understanding of your new role or the new organisation. You are managing under a microscope subject to a high degree of scrutiny, as people around you try to figure out who you are.” He further said, “if you are successful in building credibility and securing early wins, the momentum will propel you through the rest of your tenure.”

At the culmination of the summit was a cultural show, Wonderful Fusion Experience in Sri Lanka, Road to Culture and Cuisine showcasing the best of the country’s culture, cuisine and craft. The renowned culinary master Chef (Dr) Publis Silva presented a demonstration on traditional cuisine at the show, adding colour to the event.

The event was organised in partnership with the BMICH, SLTPB, SLTDA, Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition and Event Organisers, Peoples Bank, Dave Tractors & Combines (Pvt) Ltd, Lankaloha Hardware Limited, Lanka Wine "Montenary", Rockland Distilleries, LG Smartphones, World Duty Free, Pigeon Island Beach Resort, Regent Spice Garden, Okuara Hotels, Excel World, SND Packaging, Lion Royal Resorts, Mount Lavinia Hotel (MLH), Dilmah Tea and Ruhunu Mathra.

Year - 2016...Tourism Leaders’ Summit & International Symposium organized by the Department of Economics University of Colombo was successfully held on the 28th of September at the BMICH celebrating the UNWTO World Tourism Day under the theme of “Tourism for All – Promoting Universal Accessibility”, and The International Research Symposium under the theme of “Integration and Networking Sri Lanka Tourism Development for All”.

The chief guest of this national summit was Hon Minister John Amarathunga Minister of Touirsm Development and Christian Religious Affairs .While the Guest of Honor is Mr. P M Withana Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism and other distinguish invitees were present at this summit.

In accordance with the World Tourism Day Celebrations the organizing committee has lined up several events to take place around Colombo. The key highlights of the summit was the Life time Achievement Award for the national contribution for Tourism by Mr. H M S Samaranayake and also for the Excellency in Industry Award was given to Mr. P M Withana for his dedicated service to Sri Lanka Tourism Development. Founder and Coordinator of tourism studies Dr. Suranga Silva was awarded for Academic Excellency Award for his contribution and dedication for the Tourism and Hotel Management Studies of University of Colombo.

Public events of this series will take place from the first week of September. The first event of this series took place at the Colombo ‘Good Market’ along with the participation of youth led organizations which was open to the general public .Participants took advantage of the fact that they will receive an opportunity that will give them a chance to study the concept “Tourism for all” in depth, get connected with those concerned, exchange views and interact with many differently able people as well as finding ways to resolve issues of concern connected to the concept.

At the event we also had an open microphone session encouraging the public to share their views and ideas on the ‘Tourism for All’ theme. There was an ‘Art wall’ prominently placed to express ideas by participants, balloons branded with ‘Tourism for All’ messages, all of which was weaved into this event; that was poised to provide a new experience to the public. The use of equipment for the community with disability, a photo booth with tourism for all props, talk show by differently abled undergraduates of UOC, celebrity involvement, music and dance performances for all and a sign language session were the highlights of the event . This was held from 9.00am – 5.00pm.

School awareness program targeting ten schools in Colombo to educate on Tourism for All will take place during 6th to 25th September. A program to raise awareness based on the concept “Tourism for All”, will be held around 15 public and international schools with contributions made by resource persons and educational institutions. This will focus on the global theme where we will be educating school children on concepts such as accessible tourism, responsible tourism and ethical tourism. Our lineup consisted of 2/3 key speakers, through presentations and motivational videos. This was a well focused informative session for all students.

Tree Planting , Tourism day walk ,Cricket Match ,Tourism Day Quiz and Electronic Media Discussion pinnacles with the Tourism Leaders' Summit &International Research Symposium 2016 These concepts were developed by the Students of the Tourism Economics and Hotel Management of University of Colombo. These event will provide and motivate the future generations who are willing to study tourism as a subject and fulfill the national urge for industry professionals.

Tourism Leaders’ Summit 2016 and the fellowship held at Water’s Edge was a memorable event for the associates of University of Colombo as well as the each and every guest who will participate in this event. All Tourism related stakeholders participated in this remarkable event to benefit from the information and concept discussed to improve and enhance the image of the hospitality industry and network building for the prospective Tourism Economics students of University of Colombo.

Year - 2017... Tourism Leaders’ Summit and International Research Symposium which is part of the official World Tourism Day events held in Sri Lanka from 2015. Tourism Leaders’ Summit and International Research Symposium 2017 was privileged to have His Excellency the president Maithreepala Sirisena as the Chief guest for 3rd Summit in 2017.

As the premier state-run academic body, the Tourism Study Programmms of the Department of Economics, University of Colombo has taken the lead in the Four years in organizing celebrations of United Nations World Tourism Day at national level in association with the Ministry of Tourism Development. Working together with key stakeholders has helped fulfill the national tourism development agenda and synergize a common platform in which academia and industry professionals work together in designing sound and practical strategies to develop the industry.

Today Sri Lanka is a key player in world tourism especially after its appointment as a vice president of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. 130 countries and 1500 delegates endorsed this appointment at its recent general assembly in China. No doubt this is a great achievement for Sri Lanka as it becomes a role model for the development of sustainable tourism. We in Sri Lanka must therefore harness the power of tourism for our economic well-being while being fully committed to the UNWTO’s sustainable development goals, most notably its 2030 Agenda.

Tourism is now one of the main pillars of our economy and its position will be further consolidated with the targets we have set for the industry. Tourism has become the passport to prosperity for many countries and Sri Lanka is no exception provided we manage this sector in a sustainable manner. This is where we require the input of the academics in order to chart the way forward. The Tourism Leaders Summit which is now in its fourth edition is one such valuable forum where key stakeholders will be able to benefit from the experience of world leaders in tourism who are here to participate in this forum

The Tourism Leaders’ Summit (TLS) and International Tourism Research Conference (ITRC) – 2017 was a great successful national event. His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was as the Chief Guest for this in 2017. The Guest of Honour was the Minister Hon. John Amaratunga, Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs. The Summit was held under three major panels: (1) Diplomatic Corps, (2) CEOs/Chairmen of Foreign National Tourism Organizations and, (3) Industry Leaders Dialogue. The International Tourism Research Conference provided a platform to discuss the key challenges and effective strategies for sustainable tourism development with some successful case studies and best practices. It was chaired by 17 foreign eminent professors from different countries. Both events were conducted under the main theme of "Sustainable Tourism for Development: Way Forward for Sri Lanka" at the BMICH-Colombo. This celebration was marked by a series of other events as well 1) the Tourism Awareness Walk, 2) Tree Planting Event and Public Awareness Program on Sustainable Tourism 3) Industry-Community Dialogue for Women for Tourism Development, 3) Industry – Interactive and Network-Building Cricket Carnival and 5) Tourism Quiz for Industry-Academia in different venues and selected dates from June to Oct 3rd and 4th 2017.

Major Objective of the Tourism Leaders’ Summit and International Tourism Research Conference

The major objective of the Summit and Conference is to provide a constructive dialogue to deliver most required policy and management stimulation to strengthen tourism development of Sri Lanka for a high-value destination offering extraordinary experiences by tapping the untapped Sri Lanka’s natural and socio-cultural heritage while ensuring all parties’ inclusive, environmentally responsible, economically viable tourism development. Therefore, the comparative and comprehensive analysis on the application of current tourism strategies of Sri Lanka is to be analytically discussed with the industry practitioners, policy-makers, community organizations, international experts and eminent academics/researchers, under the guidelines of achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

In addition, following specific contributions are expected from this event:

• Create a platform to analytically discuss the key challenges and possible effective strategies for sustainable tourism development of the country with the case studies and global best practices to be shared by academia and industry professionals for their decision-making and right delivering of the expected outcomes.
• To enjoy the benefit of research carried out by the University of Colombo in diverse areas for the development of the industry.
• To link other overlooked and neglected economic sectors with the development of tourism through the promotion of fair trade and social enterprise.
• Develop the image of Sri Lanka Tourism aligned with the UNWTO World Tourism Day Celebration and also with the other key international tourism organizations
• To make direct contribution to enhance the research and training opportunities in orde to develop human resources for the tourism industry through industry interactive and application oriented learning application.

To provide a great opportunity for the students to conduct and present their research findings at an international academics and experts forum

Year - 2018... Seven panel discussions paved way to interesting information sharing about a wide array of interesting topics related to travel and tourism. Not only information related to the academia were shared, but also many other important aspects were directed towards policy makers, which further created a platform to have an open dialogue about the future of tourism and what needs to be done to improve and secure its future in a sustainable manner.

Panel discussion 1 conducted under the theme ‘global expectations for Sri Lanka tourism: development from ambassadors / representatives from tourist origin countries’. This panel was chaired by Ms. Shani Karunaratne (Deputy Chief of Mission / Minister – the Embassy of Sri Lanka – Beijing). Panelists consisted of Mr. Tung-Lai Marugue (Ambassador & Head of Delegation, European Union to Sri Lanka and Maldives), Ms. Joanne Doornewaard (Ambassador to Kingdom of Netherlands) and Ms. Saroja Sirisena (Director General Economic Affairs – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka). During the panel discussion, areas such as what we can learn from Indian experience, utilizing waterways for tourism, thoughts regarding granting visa-free entry to Sri Lanka from EU countries, impact of internal travel / internal flights on tourism, recommended kinds of accommodation for middle earning customers and whether English as a language should be improved were discussed. Key take away from this panel consisted of themes such as environmental sustainability, diversification through advertising, importance of quality of accommodation, importance of the transportation aspect, importance of ensuring the safety of tourists, importance of training and development for people, ensuring good value for money and customer loyalty were discussed.

Panel discussion 2 conducted under the theme ‘building capacities and enhancing community contribution for inclusive tourism’. This panel was chaired by Charles Conconi (Project Director of the USAID – Funded YouLead Project). Panelists consisted of Ms. Taiana Nevova (The Country Director – The World Bank), Ms. Carmen Niethammer (Program Manager, Women in Work, IFC), Ms. Simrin Singh (Country Director, ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka), Mr. Pascal Gavotto (Tourist Advisor – Skills for Inclusive Growth, Trincomalee Office), Dr. Ms. Wu Bixiu (The Secretary General – Silk Road Cities Alliance) and Deepthi Lamahewa (Deputy Programs Director – World University of Canada). During the panel discussion areas such as overall thoughts about the topic, mechanisms to bring in young talent to the industry, ways in which to improve women participation in the industry, mechanisms of including smaller communities in the industry and inclusiveness and capacity building. Emphasis was given maintaining the authenticity of the destination as well as involvement of local communities is extremely important.

Panel discussion 3 conducted under the theme ‘lessons learnt from global best practices – CEO / Chairmen from NTO’s. This panel was chaired by Mr. Dehan Senevirathne (Chairman – Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau). Panelists consisted of Ms. Inoshi Perera (Managing Director – SLCB), Mr. G. B. Sritar (Regional Director: South Asia, Middle East and Africa – International Group, Singapore Tourist Board), Mr. Kavan Ratnayake (Chairman – Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority), Mr. Sunil Dissanayake (Chariman – Sri Lanka Institute of Hotel Management), Prof. (Dr.) Sandeep Kulshreshtha (Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel – An Organization of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India), Mr. John Balmond (Managing Director – Balmond Studio), Prof. (Dr.) Brian King (Associate Dean, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Mr. Steven Bradie (Center Director – Williman Angliss Institue @ SLIIT) and Prof. Chandi Jayawardena (President – Chandi J Associates). During the panel discussion areas such as Sri Lanka beyond the themes of sun, sea and sand, provided ideas for improvement based on their own experience, inclusiveness and destination branding, involvement of SLTDA, micro and macro level improvements that would make a difference, opportunities to diversify Sri Lanka tourism products, innovation how to update the current curriculum for more youth involvement and customer relationships were discussed.

Panel discussion 4 was conducted under the theme industry networks, hotels, media & DMCs’. This panel was chaired by Mr. Kasun Abeynayake (The Secretary General – Tourism Leaders’ Summit and International Tourist Research Conference). Panelists consisted of Mr. Timothy Wright (Vice President / General Manager – Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo), Mr. Arun Pathak (Managing Director Welcome Hotels Lanka Pvt. Ltd.), Mr. Dilith Jayaweera (The Managing Director – Tri Add), Mr. Shaan Hassan (Director, Co-Founder – Know SL) and Mr. Manesh Fernando (General Manager, Hilton Colombo). During the panel discussion, areas such as sustainability practices by Shangri-La Hotel, thoughts about targeting 4 million arrivals by year 2020, challenges faced by Sri Lanka in attracting Indian customers, prospects for events sector considering Sri Lanka tourism, importance of female participation in the industry as well as ideal products applicable for Sri Lanka were discussed.

Panel discussion 5 was conducted under the theme ‘aviation / maritime-enhancing connectivity-airlines and agencies’. This panel was chaired by Mr. Manik Suriyaaratchi (The Managing Director – Omega Global Pvt. Ltd.). Panelists consisted of Mrs. Alice Joe Paul (Country Manager – Air India), Mr. Liang Ming (Head of Marketing CHECK Port City Colombo Pvt. Ltd.), Mr. P. S. M. Charles (Director General of Customs), Capt. Milinda Ratnayake (Vice Chairman, Airport and Services) and Mr. Chandana De Silva (Area Manager Sri Lanka and Maldives Commercial, Emirates Airlines). During the panel discussion areas such as; impact of destination marketing to reach the 4 million tourist arrival target by 2020, increase of demand for Incredible India campaign and similarities of India and Sri Lanka, challenges in marketing Port City project with a follow up discussion about support provided by Air China to make the project a success, steps taken to ensure Sri Lanka customs officers possess the soft skills required to effectively and efficiently handle the targeted arrivals, importance of implementing best practices around the world in Sri Lanka related to airport & aviation, information regarding internal connectivity and importance of brand positioning for Sri Lanka were discussed. Key take away from the panel discussion emphasized the importance of planning and implementing processes to take in to consideration every touch point of the customer experience.

Panel discussion 6 was conducted under the them ‘strengthening the corporate participation for implementation of tourism strategies, CEOs / COOs from industry and corporate sector’. This panel was chaired by Dr. Kumudu Gunasekera (President American Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka,) Panelists consisted of Mr. M. K. S. K. Maldeni (Director / Export Services – EDB), Mr. Hiran Cooray (The Chairman – Jetwing Hotels), Mr. W. A. G. Jayatillake (Director (Investment) – Board of Investment), Mr. Dulith Herath (The Founder and Chairman – Kapruka.com), Mr. Darshan Munidasa (Founder Nihonbashi, Kaema Sutra, The Tuna & The Crab, Ministry of Crab) and Ms. Sonali Dharmawardene (The Director – Sonali Dharmawardena Batiks). During the panel discussion areas such as; initiatives taken by EDB, initiatives taken by BOI to entice tourism investments, cohesive strategy to promote SL as a tourist destination and what is private sector contribution, the heritage art of Batik and creation of global brands with a local focus and importance of international recognition and advise related to becoming internationally recognized restaurant, government role in creating hotel clusters, support provided by BOI to promote service related industries and brand value propositions applicable for Sri Lanka were shared.

Panel discussion 7 was conducted under the theme ‘together tourism for all: digital transformation’. The panel was chaired by Mr. Dinesh Weerakody (The Chairman – HNB, NHRDC, ICC). Panelists consisted of Mr. Rajit Fernando (The Chairman – Sri Lankan Airlines), Mr. Gay Dolski (Managing Director / CEO – Metro Jets, Jet Aviation), Prof. Sanjaya Ndkarni (Director Innovation and Research: Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management), Mr. Lars Etvik (Group Managing Director – Dusit Thani / Dusit Education Thailand), Mr. Aliston Kochi – Ambassador for Sri Lanka Tourism, Mr. Ajai Vir Singh (Founding Member of Commonwealth Fashion Council), Ms. Yasmin Samarasinghe (The Creative Director – Lemonade Group) and Mr. M. N. Ranasinghe (Controller General of Immigration and Emigration). During the panel discussion areas such as; what Sri Lanka should do to position itself differently, impact of Sri Lankan airlines pulling out of key markets, things we could consider to make Sri Lanka a competitive destination, improving the quality of Sir Lanka tourism product, millennial model and its impact on tourism, mechanisms of focusing on luxury tourism, top 3 factors to attract high-end corporates, impact of implementing casinos in Sri Lanka, initiatives taken by the Hotel School for the well being of the tourism industry of Sri Lanka, steps that can be taken digitally to collect taxes from unregistered properties, formalizing the informal sector, role of the banking system to support the informal accommodation sector of Sri Lanka, initiatives taken by Sri Lankan airlines to promote Sri Lanka as a destination, steps that can be taken to attract high spending travelers online, what more can we do to increase the visibility for Sri Lanka as a destination and general suggestions to policy makers were discussed.