Inspiring Change and Creating a Butterfly Effect

Solar PV Installation and Organic Farm at Jetwing Yala

Women Recruited under Second Careers programme at Jetwing Kaduruketha

For over five decades, Jetwing Hotels has been at the forefront of sustainable tourism in Sri Lanka. Guided by the overarching philosophy of the late Founder Chairman, Herbert Cooray, “Hospitality cannot exist isolated from the local communities and the environment”, our operations promote environmental stewardship and community wellbeing. Hiran Cooray, Chairman of Jetwing Symphony PLC, describes the business model as being built around people, planet, profit, and peace.   

These have been translated into a holistic sustainability strategy that is in place to ensure the meticulous integration of sustainable practices throughout all operational facets.  By focusing on six key areas – energy and carbon, waste and water, biodiversity, community and culture, family, and sourcing and production – we strive to minimize any adverse environmental or social impacts, while simultaneously enhancing the positive outcomes of the tourism sector.  

Each of our 36 properties, located across 16 destinations around the island, are designed to seamlessly blend with their surroundings; the hotels’ architecture embraces green building principles, prioritizing energy efficiency, resource conservation, and waste management. We have endeavored to reduce our carbon footprint by investing in renewable energy initiatives; with over 60% of the hotels’ energy demand now being met through biomass, solar PV, solar thermal, and biogas. To improve circularity across our hotel operations, comprehensive waste management systems are in place. Solid waste is sorted at source, with food waste being used for biogas generation that fuels our staff kitchens or sent for reuse as animal feed, garden waste composted for fertilizer, and other solid waste entrusted to third-party recyclers. Wastewater is treated and reused for on-site purposes such as irrigation, cistern flushing, and as make up water for cooling towers. We take pride in pioneering the use of glass water bottles, filled at on-site bottling plants around the island, as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottles.  

We actively strive to safeguard our surrounding ecosystems, while conducting continuous awareness programmes for associates and local communities about the region’s flora and fauna. Nestled within a man-made wetland, Jetwing Vil Uyana embodies our dedication to conserving biodiversity. A 28-acre abandoned agricultural land was restored and transformed into a thriving wetland, fostering a diverse array of faunal species. Over the last 17 years, a marked increase has been recorded in the number of mammal, butterfly, and bird species - both resident and transient.

Our approach to sustainability is people-centric, placing at the forefront our associates, our communities, suppliers, and our guests; with this in mind each of our operations are designed to enhance the livelihoods and living standards of the communities around.  

Through the Jetwing Youth Development Programme (JYDP), that has been running for 18 years, nearly 1500 youth across the island have been empowered, by developing skills needed for a career in hospitality, including training in hotel operations, English language proficiency, and cultural knowledge. Jetwing Hotels’ Thrive programme is aimed at empowering SMEs around the hotels, through capacity-building programmes and providing a platform for market access. In line with this commitment to empowering local businesses, local sourcing is prioritized across all properties with up to 75% of products procured from within the same district.  

Jetwing is an equal opportunity employer that believes in creating safe spaces that inspire inclusivity and celebrate diversity. Sri Lanka has a significant gender gap in labor force participation; the tourism sector is particularly unequal, with less than 10% of the workforce being female.  

Launched in 2021, during one of the most challenging times for Sri Lanka and the hospitality industry, the award-winning ‘Second Careers’ programme is a pioneering project initiated to provide an opportunity for women aged 45 and above from economically challenged backgrounds, to enter the workforce. The programme targets mid-aged women who have completed childcare responsibilities but now face unemployment due to age-related perceptions and skill gaps. Through capacity building programmes, Jetwing bridges these barriers, equipping participants with the necessary tools for seamless integration into the professional world; by augmenting the existing skills of these women in the areas of housekeeping, kitchen, and garden. 

Apart from the economic benefits directed, the recruitment project has generated significant social impact– enhancing these associates to achieve a sense of individual independence, recognition as career women and improving their wellbeing through a satisfying job while creating role models of success, spreading awareness among their communities on the industry’s opportunities, while improving the social perception of tourism to better tackle a crippling barrier that curtails women from joining the hospitality industry. 

Jetwing Hotels champions community wellbeing by integrating sustainable practices and cultural preservation into hotel operations. The 2022 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold award and the Best Project Sustainability Award 2023 from the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce received for celebrating women in tourism and hospitality, stand as testaments to our commitment and exemplifies this focus. By sharing our journey of sustainability, what we have learnt and achieved, we aim to inspire change and create a butterfly effect.