Titled 'We shared and we cared', the Cinnamon Island Alidhoo award-winning project is a new School of Hospitality at its premises. The initiative began as an energetic local recruitment drive and gradually snowballed into an unprecedented opportunity for the women and young people of the Barah and Utheem islands in the Maldives, to transform themselves into well-trained hoteliers. Starting this year, the resort's parent company, Keells Hotel Management Services Limited, invested to operate a hotel school in which the curriculum is focused on providing the youth of the islands neighbouring Cinnamon Island Alidhoo with skills that would equip them to enter the industry.
In an economy which revolves around the hospitality industry, the School of Hospitality is indeed a boon to the population, endowing the interested with the proficiency and expertise to break into the industry and contribute to society. It represents an exciting phase in the lives of these individuals: training womenfolk, enhancing their confidence and developing excellent employees who would be solid team members in a dynamic workplace.
Commenting on the award, Jayantissa Kehelpannala, Sector Head - Resort Hotels and Executive Vice President- John Keells Group, said, "We are delighted to receive this PATA award, for it is a reflection of the strength and spirit of the brand. The School of Hospitality is the off-spring of our foray into truly sustainable development, which lives by a win-win ethic. This is an initiative that benefits the people as much as the industry and I am glad we have been instrumental in making a difference."
He also expressed his thanks to Masters DDB, who did an excellent job in preparing and presenting the application, helping it to stand out amongst the many received - a total of 258 entries from 108 travel and tourism organisations!"
Cinnamon Island Alidhoo is the flagship resort of Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts - the John Keells Group's premier hospitality brand - and was the first Cinnamon branded resort in the Maldives, unveiled on the 1 July, 2007. It is the first of its kind established in the widely undiscovered atoll of Haa Alifu which is in the northern most part of the Maldives.
The other three PATA Grand Awards have been given to Singapore Airlines in the Marketing category; Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation for Heritage; and Nihiwatu Resort, Indonesia for the Environment. In addition to the four Grand Awards, 22 Gold Awards were also given to travel-related organisations and individuals.
PATA is an association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. Through the Gold Awards presented by them annually, they aim to recognise exceptional achievement in this sphere and the winning projects set an industry benchmark for excellence and innovation, serving as examples for others to follow.
John Keells Holdings PLC the largest player in the industry with over 2100 rooms both in Sri Lanka and the Maldives and the leader in Destination Management Services handling the largest number of tourist arrivals to the country has pioneered several new innovations in the tourism sector. With over 30 years of experience in hospitality services, in 2005 the Group embarked on a re-branding initiative and has launched two distinct home-grown brands; "Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts" - an up-scale tier of hotels and "Chaaya Hotels & Resorts" - an experience to holiday in with nature and the environment. The John Keells Group Destination Management Companies were the first to expand into the region with very successful operations in the Maldives and India. Therefore, it was no surprise when they carried away an array of prestigious awards presented at the inaugural Presidential Awards for Travel and Tourism.