Sri Lanka’s Citrus Leisure opens second resort; eyes two more

Apr 08, 2014 (LBO) - Citrus Leisure Plc, which opened a 150-room resort in Waskaduwa, on Sri Lanka's South Western coast is planning another two resorts on the Western and Southern coasts, officials said. The hotel has 250 employees and says in-house training will help keep service levels high as demand for tourism sector workers pick up as more properties open and emerging new destinations require specialized new skills.

"About 40 percent of the staff is from in and around the area within 30 kilometers radar and we have recruited top management from all over the island," Ratnayake said.

"I believe there won’t be any human resource issue for us as long as we continue training."

Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals rose 17.5 percent to 133,048 in March 2014 from a year earlier with strong arrivals from China, as the country's exchange rate strengthened, inflation fell and living standards rose.

"With that we have a challenge with our staff," Ratnayake said. "Because we were trained to serve the Europe for years, our people know their likes, dislikes, customs, eating patterns and so on.

"But now we have seen an increase number of Chinese tourists coming into Sri Lanka. So when it’s come