International industry veteran Peter Ducker who contributed towards shaping the future of hospitality through the ‘Institute of Hospitality’ which has united professionals by promoting excellence and facilitating learning for more than 70 years, recently arrived in Sri Lanka in a gesture of recognition of the service carried out by its Sri Lanka International Branch. Mr. Ducker’s visit will span a week long expedition where he will visit many historical and significant locations such as Chilaw, Hatton and Waskaduwa along with many hotels and resorts, experiencing the hospitality of Sri Lanka.
In order to mark the significance of his visit, the Sri Lankan branch of the Institute, hosted a press conference highlighting the Institutes role towards the growth of the Country’s Hospitality Industry which was recently held at the Victorian Hall, Kingsbury Hotel Colombo. The event attracted a large cross section of representation from the Leisure and Hospitality industry due the arrival of Peter Ducker who graced the event as the Chief Guest.
During his visit, he will also have the opportunity to impart his knowledge and expertise by attending a few of the Institute’s ‘Managers Tool Chest’ events which will be held in Kandy, Waskaduwa, Colombo, Negambo as well as in the North and East of Dambulla covering most parts of the island. The event will be conducted by Dr. Sarath Buddhadasa and Mr. Dammika Kalapuge who will focus on key areas such as entrepreneurship and management and give the participants an in-depth knowledge in industry related subjects. This international certification program is designed to help managers to develop their skills as part of the Institute’s ‘Professional Development Assistance Program’ to its members and to the hospitality industry at large. He will also visit several hospitality businesses and meet both branch executives and members of the Institute.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr. Peter Ducker- Chief Executive of the Institute of Hospitality said, “I have timed my visit to especially coincide with the annual dinner organized by the Sri Lankan branch which is to be held on 27th of November, where I will have the opportunity to speak to over 380 leading hospitality professionals. There has been so much development in tourism and hospitality since my last visit in 2013. Obviously hospitality is expanding rapidly and the rate on development and investment is tremendous. The Institute of Hospitality’s role is to promote hospitality education and support its members as a fast growing Industry need skilled and passionate individuals devoted to delivering the high standards that international travelers expect.”
Chairman of the Institute in Sri Lanka, Mr. Sidath Kodikara also added, “Mr. Ducker arrives in Sri Lanka at a pivotal time when our institute has seen growth in leaps and bounds while our industry as a whole is at the brink of a take-off. Continuous increase in tourist arrivals and average tourist spending has helped increase tourist earnings for Sri Lanka by 22.6 percent. In fact recently published data shows that Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals increased by 13.7 percent in October this year compared to the same period last year exceeding 1.6 million tourist arrivals so far this year.”
“Our Country is expected to increase the number of total hotel rooms to a level above 80,000 taking the total number of employees working in the tourism sector at up to 800,000 by 2020. This is by no means a modest growth target. And we require support from professionals of the caliber of Mr. Ducker to bring our services up to mark with our potential,” Kodikara added.
