SL needs a holistic approach to overcome chicken and egg situation

• Hilton VP stresses on getting the right mix of investment to develop a sustainable industry
• Points out the industry had failed to promote hospitality as a potential career path
• Stresses to do away with cultural barriers to uplift and promote industry
• Says success of Hilton is its people 

To overcome the chicken and egg situation and realise the full potential of the tourism industry, Sri Lanka needs a holistic approach combined with public, private and foreign investments, a hospitality industry expert opined.

Hilton Worldwide Vice President Operations – South East Asia and India, William Costley pointed out that although the country holds a unique opportunity ahead of it,  getting the right mix of investments, stakeholder participation as well as the national development strategies aligned to industry objectives was imperative in developing a sustainable tourism sector. 

He said it is the responsibility of the industry stakeholders to develop the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. 

 “Traditionally Sri Lanka had been driving growth on small boutique hotels, but there is a great demand for large scale hotels and to take it up to that level you need large scale investments. The Government can provide infrastructure only up to a certain level, the rest of the investment needs to come from the industry,” he pointed out.

However, he said that there is potential for private investment in Sri Lanka coupled with long term foreign investment. 

He was critical of the fact that the industry had failed to promote hospitality as a potential career path for Sri Lankans. “Half of the population in this country does not think of hospitality and tourism as a potential for career. The misconception is mainly because of lack of awareness. An entry level team member can earn about Rs.50,000 per month, which is promising for a start. However, cultural barriers need to be broken, and the industry needs to promote the value of the hospitality career if it is looking at a macro sustainable industry.” 

Costley gave the full credit to their human capital for the success of Hilton’s 97 years of existence in the hospitality industry globally. Apart from adopting best HR practices aligned with the company’s vision, mission and values, Hilton also focuses on developing leaders and attracting women leadership to their business model.

He said the hotel made conscious effort three years ago to target women in leadership and this has been a significant focus of the company globally. According to him, the firm has specific targets for their leadership and 20% of Hilton’s female staff will become general managers by 2018.   

"Traditionally Sri Lanka had been driving growth on small boutique hotels, but there is a great demand for large scale hotels and to take it up to that level you need large scale investments. The Government can provide infrastructure only up to a certain level, the rest of the investment needs to come from the industry

Half of the population in this country does not think hospitality and tourism as a potential for career. The misconception is mainly because of lack of awareness.

The secret to our success is our people. It is the key factor we focus on to differentiate Hilton from the others. You can replicate physical assets, but you cannot replace human capital"

“The secret of our success is our people. It is the key factor we focus to differentiate Hilton from the others. You can replicate physical assets, but you cannot replace human capital,” he added.

Commenting on Sri Lankan talent he said Sri Lanka has a great competitive advantage because of the culture of the people themselves. “They are very service minded, have a hospitable attitude, which eventually drives the service standards a lot easier compared to many other countries in the world.”

The firm has a holistic approach towards the team members at the hotel level as well as from a community level. Further the trust in the leadership has been an important factor to provide colleagues an assurance that they are working for a sound company which in turn had helped the firm to retain their people as well. 

“The engagement, trust and leadership are critical not only for the hospitality industry but for any country. Sri Lanka also holds a great potential in building leadership in the hospitality industry,” he stressed.

He said Hilton puts in a lot of investment for L&D as the firm has recognised the significance of its value addition to the hotel is much higher. “We have a University as well as a powerful online learning and development portal. Our online education is very powerful and is absolutely free.”