Cinnamon, IFC to grow tourism sector in eastern Sri Lanka
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From left: Dileep Mudadeniya- Head of Brand Marketing at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts; Nadija Tambiah-Head of CSR at John Keells Foundation; Ajit Gunewardene- President at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts; Adam Sack -IFC Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives; Priyanka Cooray, Senior Investment Officer, IFC, and Graeme Harris, Senior Operations Officer, IFC.
Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts has tied up with the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, as its strategic partner in promoting eastern Sri Lanka as an attractive tourism destinationActivities under the partnership will be carried out with the financial support of the European Union’s Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP) which aims to support the Government’s thrust for economic and social development in seven conflict-affected districts covering half a million people, the hotel group said in a media release.
Head of Development Cooperation for the European Union, Ms. Libuse Soukupova said “the Sri Lankan Government’s development policy aims at positioning Sri Lanka as a “model tourist destination”. Tourism generated by the European Union accounts for a very large segment of the market, over 35 per cent of tourists coming to Sri Lanka are from EU Member States. The release said the IFC was a vital partner in the forward-thinking ‘Cinnamon Future of Tourism’ summit in Colombo, which witnessed the convergence of global tourism experts and industry heads.
Adam Sack, Country Manager for IFC in Sri Lanka said, “Today’s travellers are seeking out more authentic and sustainable travel experiences. Through our partnership with Cinnamon, we are aiming at helping boost small business growth in the East, through numerous trainings and supply chain linkages”.Through this strategic partnership with Cinnamon, IFC will organize seminars, trainings and workshops to share knowledge, and support the growth of small businesses in the East. The partnership will also support tourism stakeholders in travel marts, tourism exhibitions and festivals, with an emphasis on promoting local tourism destinations and products.
Ajit Gunewardene, President at Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts said, “Through this partnership with IFC, we are focusing the spotlight on the east coast whilst developing the necessary expertise and knowhow in that region so that it can realise its true potential”.Under the agreement, Cinnamon will make available in-house experts to develop knowhow and technical skills amongst tourism industry employees on the east coast. A special project on the agenda is the Women’s Empowerment Project, which will select and train female chauffeurs, many of whom will hail from the North and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka.