Are we getting ready to greet our visitors?
The hospitality sector in Sri Lanka was one of the hardest hit when Coronavirus made inroads into our shores and inundated an industry that was well established, well run and made a positive impact on those travellers who came to sample what was on offer.
Nearly a year has elapsed while the world was given an abject lesson of how best to bail out the formidable clutter that surrounded us. We now have a clearer picture of the futility of life and what are the fundamental aspects of one’s life that need nurturing, strengthening and safeguarding- above all else.
The eureka news that the much anticipated vaccine for coronavirus is in the pipeline and soon will be available to the general public is seen as the resumption to a ‘normal life’ which was taken for granted as a way of life, before the pandemic sent us home packing in disbelief.
Nothing would be more foolish than to think a swift return to normal and back to action stations as before would be a formality. By now it would be clear how ‘everyone stands’ in the breadline – meaning the real movers and the shakers of the business and those who are not. As far as job allotment, titles, designations, qualifications, experience and what have you, is not going to be the primary concern. Simply put, who is needed most to run the show and who isn’t, and not necessarily who brings what to the table.
In a nutshell, the table has shifted and the ‘stitch in time saves nine’ has replaced the management guru where hands on, and being able to multitask without showmanship, would definitely get a first look in…two for the price of one, so to speak.
Many planners and strategic thinkers would have also have had time, to ascertain a new approach to doing the old business, one that would stand a better chance of withstanding a similar shock in future. Such an overhaul in looking outside the box, accompanied with a horizontal approach can provide much more flexibility than running a stereotype management structure which tends to be top heavy.
For example, while the pilot must navigate the aircraft, it is the ground control and the ground technicians that keep the plane safe to fly and facilitate the journey to take place without a hitch and undue alarm. The rest of the razzmatazz in the airline industry is the dressing or filigree on the cake.
Just so that we must collectively understand, the proof of the welcome drink has changed a notch higher, and therefore the million dollar question is, are we geared to relaunch the hospitality industry with new thinking and novel features, that will keep us hungry to maintain the premier place we had reached before?
KayJay pens, rhymes and paints whenever the mood kicks in and keeps him in his study. He also sends writings of others whose deliberations fascinate him and tickles his curiosity. However this does NOT necessarily mean these viewpoints are fully endorsed. KayJay can be reached via <arekesaya@gmail.com> at your peril and there’s no guarantee of a response or feedback either.
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