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Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Niraj de Mel – Pic by Upul Abayasekara
By Charumini de Silva
In a critical evaluation of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry training and innovation, a top official on Wednesday claimed that the tourism sector had not adequately pushed local produce to tourists.
Industry veteran and Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Niraj de Mel pulled no punches in criticising the hotel industry’s lack of knowledge about the 157-year-old Ceylon Tea, a beverage known around the world.
Speaking at the launch event of Hotel Show Colombo 2023 themed ‘Produce of Sri Lanka’ in a room full of tourism industry champions, he emphasised that hotel stewards lack knowledge of local produce, particularly Ceylon Tea and the necessity for proper training for hospitality personnel.
“Our stewards know a lot about wines. May it be from Italy, South Africa, Chile or France; they know every detail about it — which is a foreign product. However, they know very little or none whatsoever about Ceylon Tea, other than the 10% of the population who are involved in the tea industry,” de Mel pointed out.
He stressed how much visitors appreciate Ceylon Tea and all of its unique flavours and qualities. “The hotels offer only one variety of tea. In most instances, it is just hot water poured into a pot with tea bags. The properly brewed tea is also not happening in most hotels,” he claimed.
Noting that if the customer is patient for a proper cuppa brewed in five minutes, Sri Lanka Tea Board Chief said that the hotel personnel be trained for it.
“Brewing tea needs education. It is a world-renowned product Made in Sri Lanka. They should receive adequate instruction on the many varieties of Ceylon Tea and how to brew it,” he added.
Since baristas and tea makers in the hotel industry act as ambassadors and points of contact with tourists, he insisted that this education aspect must be inculcated in them.
He said not only foreigners, but even the local travellers who go and enjoy a lot in the hotels can be provided with information.
Sri Lanka Tea Board Chief also underlined the need of teaching the hotel’s culinary staff how to combine tea with meals, recalling that there were competitors who came up with clever innovations using local ingredients and paired them with a good cuppa tea.
“The culinary teams should be inspired to pursue creative learning, especially in the area of food and beverage pairing. There are so much you can do using Ceylon Tea as an ingredient,” de Mel stressed.
He welcomed the initiative to continue the Ceylon Tea Masters Cup as one of the competitions at the 15th edition of the Hotel Show Colombo, noting that it will help to identify new talent in the industry.
