Sun Siyam Resorts appoints industry experts to ignite reopening of Pasikudah hotel
Daily FT: Sun Siyam Resorts, a renowned and multi-award-winning Maldivian hospitality group, has announced the appointment of Arshed Refai as General Manager and Dulanka De Mel as Sales and Marketing Manager at Sun Siyam Pasikudah in Sri Lanka.
Their appointment comes in anticipation of the eagerly-awaited reopening of this remarkable five-star boutique haven, on 17 November 2023.
The property has undergone a comprehensive rejuvenation, assuring guests a captivating experience that harmoniously blends accessible luxury with the cultural opulence of Sri Lanka. Arshed and Dulanka bring a wealth of industry expertise to this rejuvenated property.
In his role as General Manager, Arshed, a Sri Lankan national, will oversee the overall operations of Sun Siyam Pasikudah. He collaborates closely with the CEO and the Group General Manager of the organization. Arshed began his career in IT but gradually transitioned into operations, gaining extensive experience in the field, over the years. Prior to this role, he served as Operations Manager at Sun Aqua Pasikudah, which was rebranded as Sun Siyam Pasikudah in 2020. With over a decade of dedication to Sun Siyam Resorts, Arshed has been involved from the inception and initial construction stages of Sun Siyam Pasikudah, and has since overseen all operational aspects of every department within the property.
Arshed said: ‘‘I’m very proud to be part of a dynamic and vibrant organization where ideas, vision and creativity thrives. With Sri Lanka back on the map and tourism buzzing, my main role will be spurring its growth and continuously create that local yet diversely rich cultural stay for our guests and go on to contribute significantly to the country’s tourism industry and economy as a whole.’’
Sri Lankan national, Dulanka will be leading all marketing and sales efforts of Sun Siyam Pasikudah as he comes with over 13 years of progressive experience in the country’s hospitality sector.
OSL take:
The steady growth in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has created new business/investment opportunities in the leisure and hospitality sectors. The growth in the industry has also opened up opportunities in the development of supplementary infrastructure facilities required by the expanding industry. With the continuous promotional campaigns carried out by local authorities in key tourist source markets and Sri Lanka being identified as a must visit tourist destination by the international media, the opportunities in the country’s tourism industry are bound to see a twofold increase. The growth and business potential in the country’s tourism industry has been noticed by foreign businesses/investors resulting in many international leisure and hospitality brands entering the Sri Lankan market. The local businesses engaged in the industry have also launched expansion and refurbishment programmers due to the growth on the tourism industry on order to meet the growing requirements. Given the growth and business potential in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, foreign businesses/investors could confidently explore the expanding opportunities in the industry. Foreign businesses could also look at forming partnerships or joint ventures with local businesses engaged in the tourism industry with the aim of further expansion.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20231121/Z_1 |