This World Tourism Day, Jetwing Hotels celebrates community

Thursday, 26 September 2019 01:14 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Jetwing Jaffna JYDP participants

On this World Tourism Day, Jetwing Hotels would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the communities and stakeholders that make it possible to deliver true Sri Lankan hospitality to all their guests.

The Jetwing Hotels properties across the island draw their charm from one essential aspect – the people involved. Each property is designed with the goal of enhancing the livelihood and living standards of the communities around it and in turn, these communities join Jetwing in promoting the finest of local hospitality through sustainable experiences.

“Our founder Herbert Cooray always believed that hospitality cannot exist in isolation and should incorporate and uplift the community around us. Not only on this World Tourism Day, but every day, we are thankful for the dedication and commitment our local partners give us,” said Jetwing Hotels Ltd. Chairman Shiromal Cooray.

Farming communities have resided in the rural paddy lands of Wellawaya for centuries, local farmers of this day primarily engage in small-scale paddy cultivation, where they often find themselves in debt due to loans to assist with their yield. To support these communities, Jetwing Hotels has used the 50 acres of paddy land surrounding Jetwing Kaduruketha to provide local farming families with seed money (per acre, per season) for cultivation. An equal portion of the resulting harvest is then shared equally between the farmer and the hotel, with excess stocks of rice being sold to other hotels in the Jetwing family to enable a steady income for the local community.

The Jetwing Youth Development Programme (JYDP) is a great testament to how tourism can bring about positive change in local communities. Starting in the farming villages around Sigiriya, the JYDP began in 2006 with the aim of providing local school leavers with a working knowledge of hotel operations as well as English, etiquette, cultural history, and industry insights. Once they have completed the program, students are given the opportunity to work at the hotels. Over the years, JYDP has expanded to provide opportunities for the youth of resident communities all over the island from Negombo and Galle, to Jaffna and Passikudah.

Jetwing Hotels as a well-reputed, responsible and ethical tourism provider, is committed to the sustainability of the environment and the community. The first ‘Thrive’ program – a project launched to empower the self-employed, the entrepreneurs and the small-scale business owners in the supply chain – was launched at Jetwing Kaduruketha, Wellawaya recently. The aim of the project is to trigger growth in a stagnant community of suppliers, through the provision of awareness, training and financial assistance required to upscale these enterprises to become lucrative, as suppliers of quality products and services.