Sri Lanka’s tourism industry was abuzz this week on the recently concluded awards night that raised a few eyebrows in the selection of winners, though organizers believe this as purely “judgmental”. Sri Lanka Tourism Awards Grand Jury Chairman Prof. Uditha Liyanage speaking with the Business Times said on Friday the process carried out was “fairly [...]

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The Sundaytimes Sri Lanka

Industry claims comedy of errors at Sri Lanka Tourism Awards

By Sunimalee Dias
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Sri Lanka’s tourism industry was abuzz this week on the recently concluded awards night that raised a few eyebrows in the selection of winners, though organizers believe this as purely “judgmental”. Sri Lanka Tourism Awards Grand Jury Chairman Prof. Uditha Liyanage speaking with the Business Times said on Friday the process carried out was “fairly robust.” Changes were made in the members on the panels and the grand jury in addition to certain criteria and marks in a few awards presented. The tourism awards were based on applications sent by industry participants, he said. The process also involved visiting relevant institutions to ascertain if they were “walking the talk” after which marks were submitted to the Grand Jury that would study the comments made and engage in a further vetting process. Individual awards were only given for a few whereas most were institutional, it was stated.

Prof. Liyanage reacting to comments questions raised by the industry said “it was judgmental” asserting they followed a “clear process.” However, sections of the industry believe these awards were a “joke” noting the criteria was not adequate to select the right candidates for the awards. One leading hotelier commented “Any person with some self worth will not apply,” adding that the selection should have been carried out based on particular criteria with a panel of judges based on feedback from customers, staff and journalists among others. Most questioned the individual awards given at this year’s awards ceremony wondering what contributions these persons made to the industry when in fact some of them were out of the country for quite some time. In relation to corporate awards it was queried as to how institutions could be selected without ascertaining the quality of the hotel, its profitability and staff feedback. In fact some also believed that awarding the Sri Lankan missions overseas was simply adding to the comedy of errors since promoting the destination was part of their job. Three awards were given for the first time this year to the missions in the US, Russian and China. A few also criticized the increased number of awards given in 2012 questioning the criteria to select the best employee, best chef or best tour guide.

Selection for these awards required nominations from hotels prior to which the hotels themselves must pick the right candidates. Then based on this they should then be awarded on a national level, it was stated adding that “there should be some kind of careful consideration when selecting people.” It was proposed that the relevant committees should have at least one from each association but they should not be a competitor to ensure there was no conflict of interest.

Moreover, general awards for contribution to the sector should be based on national level and not simply on individual organizations, another hotelier said. Others expressed concern that a few of the awards were a disappointment and could have been given to better deserving persons. Commenting on individual awards it was observed this too was an issue since it could while encouraging one discourage a thousand others. But, Prof. Liyanage pointed out that the panel of judges had carried out the selection process based on the criteria developed over a period of time that evolved since the awards were initiated in 2008.

The objective of the awards is “to recognize and reward excellence in the travel and tourism industry, thus promoting and enhancing the delivery of service standards” as mentioned in the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards website. Awards numbering 74, inclusive of sub categories, were given within 11 main categories.




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