Future of Hospitality and Tourism
Worldwide, global tourism has rebounded strongly, with a significant growth of international tourist arrivals. The highest growth of all regions with 8.4% was recorded from Asia & Pacific in 2016. Tourism in Sri Lanka has surged to a new limit of over 2 million (2,050,832) arrivals in 2016, which is an increase of 14% over last year’s 1,798,380 arrivals. The trend has continued to be rising within 2017 as well. Employment generated in the tourism sector ( both direct and indirect) increased from 319,436, in 2015 to 335,659 in 2016 with a growth rate of 5.1%. In line with the increase of arrivals the employment requirements have also proportionately increased and the trend continues.
The total number of persons directly employed in the tourist industry amounted to 146,115 in 2016, which was an increase of 7.49% over the corresponding figure of the previous year. As in the previous years, majority of the employees were in the accommodation and catering sector. This amount is 80.93% of the total direct employment, recording a substantial increase of 7.93% against the previous year amount of 109,567.
Although the majority of the total direct employment was under the categories of Technical, Clerical allied and Supervisory, it showed a marginal improvement of 6.9% over the previous year. The said category claimed a share of more than half of the total employment, recording 51.17%. The share of the Manual and Operative grades was 34% per cent while the balance 13.63% of the Managerial grades.
The demand for trained and qualified professionals is exceeding the current supply of the same from Sri Lanka, against the local and the international demand. As per the National Tourism Plan published by the Government targeting implementation by 2020 it states that Sri Lanka aims to; employ 600,000 Sri Lankans, with women accounting for 10% of the workforce. Currently women are underrepresented in the industry to a level where the representation has not been calculated officially.
Colombo Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management ( CITHM) has been established in line with the growth of the industry as well as the requirements for currently employed professionals to be better trained and qualified. Students are offered a Diploma of Higher Education ( DHE) specializing in four key industry verticals, namely; Hospitality, Tourism, Event Management and Commercial Cookery. On completion of the DHE students have the opportunity to further enhance their qualifications by progressing onwards to complete a BA ( Hons) in Tourism and Management awarded by leading universities that CITHM maintains affiliations with from the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore. Students have a diversified range of options to either pursue the entire period of education at CITHM or commence at CITHM, Sri Lanka and thereafter transfer to any of the affiliated universities. CITHM also offers a confirmed internship at their own city hotel, Talo Urban which is a state of the art training facility which provides the much needed practical training of all front and back office functions of an hotel. For students who opt to have transfers to the foreign affiliations, CITHM has agreed arrangements in Singapore for a paid, work whilst studying arrangement.
CITHM is the first institute in Sri Lanka to offer a degree in the hospitality and tourism industry. The detailed curriculum which is validated by the foreign universities has been tailored to suit both the local and international requirements and standards. CITHM is determined to ensure that a new brand of resource personal is created who would ensure that the much needed improvement of service in the sector is established. For more information on the great opportunities do contact CITHM and their professional councilors would be able to assist you in determining the best way forward to build a better future with better qualifications. You could visit CITHM Main Campus in Bambalapitiya at 230, Galle Road, Colombo 04 or call on 0711 09 46 25.