The Government plans to set up tourism training schools at district level as pledged in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s National Policy Framework, “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour,” Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said.
He added that four new hotel schools will be established this year.
He was addressing a Progress Review Meeting of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management recently.
The Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management under the Ministry of Tourism is the only institution in the country that produces professionals in the Hospitality and Travel Industry fields. It has branches in Kandy, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Bandarawela, Koggala, Ratnapura, Pasikudah and Jaffna. The Government plans to establish hotel schools in other districts of the country.
The Minister pointed out that various courses related to the tourism and hotel industry offered by hotel schools should be upgraded to degree level courses. The Minister said that discussions are already underway with the University Grants Commission in this regard.
Minister Ranatunga also instructed the authorities to introduce a new diploma course in addition to the existing courses for youth who do not possess GCE Ordinary Level qualifications but are currently employed and interested in this field.