July 18, 2018 TnH Global 1

HRAWI’s 18th Regional Convention concludes in Sri Lanka

The 18^th edition of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India’s (HRAWI) Regional Convention that began on 27^th June concluded on 30^th June, 2018. Themed ‘Surfing The Wave Of Global Tourism’ the Association’s maiden international convention was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka and was flagged off by the President of HRAWI, Mr Dilip Datwani. The inaugural ceremony took place in the presence of several dignitaries and distinguished guests including Chief Guest – Suja K. Menon, Head of Economic & Commercial Wing, High Commission of India, Colombo who delivered the keynote address, Pratap Sarnaik, Hon’ble Member of Legislative Assembly of Maharashtra; Sanath Ukwatte, President of Hotel Association of Sri Lanka; Kumar De Silva, Chairman Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and former Sri Lanka cricket team captain, Aravinda De Silva.

The HRAWI had held the three day convention in Sri Lanka with the objective of sharing the hospitality cultures of the two nations while also learning and promoting global tourism best practices.

“I would like to thank the Hotel Association of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau for partaking in our convention and lending us their valuable support. It was a privilege to host and meet eminent personalities from the Sri Lankan hospitality fraternity. The convention helped identify the common interests and, strengthened ties between the two nations for advancing together into a new era of global tourism and hospitality,” says Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI.

The convention held several business sessions including discussions on Managing Hotel Operations Effectively, Understanding the Impact and Influence of Food & Travel Bloggers, Developments in Hotel Interiors & Architecture, Emerging Restaurant Trends & Global Sri Lankan Cuisine.

“The landscape of Hospitality has evolved to encompass several different specialized industries that contribute towards its development. So besides conducting key sessions on improving efficiency in management and operations of hotels, we also integrated sessions on unconventional subjects. Food and travel bloggers and others, who through several app based platforms have converged as a voice, are influencing the course of hospitality and tourism today. We included a session on this topic and benefited with the insights provided by some of the best Subject Matter Experts in this domain. Likewise the convention also had speakers with expertise in the fields of interiors and architecture and renowned chefs to speak on global cuisines,” adds Datwani.

“The Sri Lankan hospitality industry is witnessing key developments in the sector with luxury hotel brands like the Sheraton, Shangri-La and Marriott among others are setting up new properties. There are many other international players who too are looking at creating or increasing their presence here. Through this convention, it is the HRAWI’s endeavour to merge the industry aspirations of both countries in creating a global hospitality offering,” concludes Datwani.