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A deserted Park Street Mews, once a busy dining and entertainment venue – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara
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| Colombo City Hotels Association President M. Shanthikumar
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The Colombo City Hotels Association (CCHA) yesterday called for the urgent reopening of food and beverage outlets, saying the move was crucial for survival and to stop further serious loss of income and jobs.
CCHA President M. Shanthikumar, whilst welcoming easing of travel restrictions, said the order to keep food and beverage outlets closed had kept customers and business away.
“We will function all indoor F&B facilities at 50% capacity as articulated in the health and safety protocol. We urge the authorities to allow the hotels to operate open air F&B facilities at full capacity,” Shanthikumar said.
He reiterated the level of diligence exercised by the hotel sector to ensure operations are carried out in compliance with regulations and assured that Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority-registered hotels would act with utmost responsibility to protect the future of the industry.
“We are confused at the fact that wine stores and supermarkets are able to sell liquor but the hotel sector is prohibited from doing so. This we believe is totally unfair and unjust,” said the CCHA President.
Shanthikumar though welcomed the fact that the Government had recognised the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry and extended an immediate relief package to sustain the sector.
“However, no one expected this to prolong for 15 months, posing a huge challenge to over 80% of the direct and indirect employees of the tourism industry. It is a well-known fact that over 10% of the Sri Lankan population is dependent on tourism. Therefore the impact on this segment is substantial when hotels are shut down for business,” the CCHA President added.
Following is the full text of the interview.
Q: With travel restrictions being eased, are you seeing an influx of locals to your hotels?
Unfortunately not. Hotels were asked to close all restaurants and bars during the lockdown and we have not been given clearance to reopen these outlets.
Q: Has this had an impact on your employees?
Yes definitely. All hotels are functioning with limited staff for the past 15 months. Since then, employee earnings have drastically gone down. Hotel employees earn a substantial amount by way of service charge on a monthly basis in addition to their monthly salary. The frontline staff such as waiters earn even more by way of tips from guests who patronise the restaurants and bars. All this has been deprived, they are struggling for survival.
There was a gradual improvement in the situation prior to the recent lockdown. We hoteliers are very concerned that the Government is prohibiting hotels registered with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) to open their bars and restaurants given that the lockdown conditions have been eased. This is currently the only source of income for hoteliers.
The Health Ministry brought a set of guidelines for the tourism industry, which was endorsed by the SLTDA. Amidst all hardships, all necessary changes were made by hotels to adhere to this strict protocol of Safe and Secure guidelines. In fact, most of us have received Safe and Secure certifications by the SLTDA. However, no consideration is given to lift the restrictions for hotels after the lockdown is over.
The employees continue to struggle as they are once again deprived of their earnings. They are subject to salary cuts and are now deprived of the few additional rupees they can earn by way of tips and service charge. The Hotel industry must be given due recognition as they follow strict Health and Safety protocols.
Q: As a veteran hotelier, do you foresee a challenge in terms of employees in the sector once the borders are opened?
Yes. If the situation continues and the authorities do not give due recognition to the sector. Employees are losing faith in being in this profession. Hotels need trained and experienced staff to provide International service standards. It takes months or even years to train the staff to meet these standards. Most are now looking for alternate work to earn a living even though some opportunities may even end up de-skilling them.
Owners and operators of hotels are helpless as the revenues continue to fall and the debt continues to pile up. We see a huge challenge in terms of providing star-class service standards when the destination opens up, unless otherwise the authorities give due recognition to the industry and allow the industry to operate within the established safety standards.
Q: As President of Colombo City Hotels, what is your request from the authorities at this moment?
The Government has recognised the impact of the pandemic on the Tourism industry and extended an immediate relief package to sustain the sector. However, no one expected this to prolong for 15 months posing a huge challenge to over 80% of the direct and indirect employees of the Tourism industry. It is a well-known fact that over 10% of the Sri Lankan population is dependent on Tourism. Therefore the impact on this segment is substantial when hotels are shut down for business.
Our only request is for the authorities to give due recognition to SLTDA registered hotels when setting out guidelines. The SLTDA registered hotels have always adhered to strict Health and Safety protocols and will continue to practice the same diligence in the future. We are committed to protect our employees and guests from the virus and will continue to make efforts to avoid the development of a cluster.
We request the authorities to permit hotels to open bars and restaurants immediately. We will function all indoor F&B facilities at 50% capacity as articulated in the health and safety protocol. We urge the authorities to allow the hotels to operate open air F&B facilities at full capacity.
I would like to reiterate the level of diligence exercised by the Hotel sector to ensure operations are carried out in compliance with regulation and the fact that we will act with utmost responsibility to protect the future of this industry.
I would also like to state that we are confused at the fact that wine stores and supermarkets are able to sell liquor but the hotel sector is prohibited to do so. This we believe is totally unfair and unjust.
