Sustainable Tourism in a Sri Lankan Luxury Hotel
Hospitality pairs together with sustainable tourism almost as well as wine and cheese. Sustainable tourism is crucial in the industry to ensure there’s a low impact on locals and their culture, the environment, etc. while encouraging employment for the locals in the country. Big brand hotels like Jetwing Hotels, have started tapping into how they can promote tourism without damaging the culture and environment.
Climate change is real, denying it is only going to destroy the planet faster. Jetwing Hotels, a key hotel chain on the island constantly strives towards achieving carbon neutrality, through numerous ways, as mentioned on their website. The hotel chain does not merely focus on offsetting carbon emissions, but also looks at other ways to become energy efficient and reduce the usage of fossil fuels and energy wastage through initiatives such as:
- LED lights are currently being used across all properties
- Each room is operated with an access key card, where the ac is programmed with a setback temperature when the key card is removed.
- Freezers, where cold rooms are separated by freezer curtains, are opened only at scheduled times and monitored through door curtains.
- Architectural structures of each hotel are designed to ensure maximum use is made of the surroundings, i.e. natural light and ventilation.
- Awareness is raised among the staff to reduce wastage overall.
- Usage of solar energy
Hotels are known to be some of the biggest contributors to waste; whether water or food. As a tropical country, the island is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. An increase in the tourism sector directly relates to an increase in the use of natural resources. Hence, Jetwing Hotels does it part to ensure full use of the land and the surroundings are made across all their properties.
Water
Sri Lanka’s efficient and advanced water management system stemmed from ancient times when Kings ruled the island. A number of Jetwing properties have been built to become less dependent on the national water supply, and this is done through reverse osmosis units and rainwater harvesting methods. The water is then managed through a sustainable process, without compromising levels and standards of comfort, which includes sensor operated urinals, dual flush cisterns, low-flow showerheads etc. The staff are trained to pay attention and treat leaks as soon as possible.
Solid Waste
Maximum care and responsibility is taken to ensure there is minimal waste. Rooms are fitted with linen bags, cane laundry baskets, glass water bottles, ceramic/glass bathroom amenity containers, etc. Straws are only provided to guests upon request. Dry waste like plastic, paper, metal and glass are later sent for recycling.
Organic Waste
Food waste collected from each of our hotels is processed through our onsite biogas digesters, used as animal feed or composed.
Jetwing hotels ensures that each of their properties contribute towards the betterment of local lives and the protection of their culture.
Youth development
The Jetwing Youth Development Programme was initiated to address specific needs of the community. Thus in 2006, Jetwing Vil Uyana brought around this project which aimed at the farming villages in Sigiriya, where school leavers were trained for 6 months on working in the hospitality industry, with English, cultural history and etiquette being part of the knowledge imparted to them. Many of these individuals have continued to work with the hotel, after the training ended. Youth around Sri Lanka were helped through this programme.
Tuk Tuk Harmony
There’s a general negative image with local tuk tuks and big hotels in the country. However, Jetwing Lighthouse partnered with local tuk tuk drivers to provide rides to guests at a pre-agreed fee, which ensured that locals were not deprived of their livelihood.
Community Pool
After the 2004 tsunami that wrecked many lives, Jetwing Lighthouse worked to build a community swimming pool to train and equip locals with swimming skills. With funding from several famed figures such as SOS Velsen of the Netherlands, the pool, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, Channa Daswatta was constructed. The free swimming lessons were conducted by Julian Bolling and Christina Fonce. Following the success of this project, a trust was managed by the aforementioned dedicated to managing and maintain the Lighthouse Community Pool.
