Promoting uniqueness of Jaffna, in India

We feature below an interview with Muhunthan Murugaiah, member of the Northern Tourism Bureau who specialises in hospitality and tourism, having obtained his university credentials linked to tourism from Europe, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

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He has worked in the culinary sector in UK and Germany as well as southern areas of Sri Lanka including Hikkaduwa, Bentota and Beruwela, and holds a Masters in Tourism Economics and Hotel Management from Colombo University. He is the founder of the British College of Hospitality Management, a private vocational training institute based in Jaffna. He is also a member of the Northern Chamber of Industries which focuses on tourism related industry promotion. Along with four other tourism stakeholders from various parts of Northern Province, Muhunthan Murugaiah will be shortly representing Jaffna tourism at the India International Travel Mart in Chennai from 16 to 18 July. This interview was conducted in the aftermath of an informal discussion between few Jaffna tourism entrepreneurs on strategising the presentation of Jaffna’s uniqueness to the Indian travel sector.

How do you see Jaffna within the tourism arena of Sri Lanka as a whole?

As far as I know it is only this year that Jaffna was represented at the Sancharaka Udawa which is considered as Sri Lanka’s premier annual travel and tourism fair, held annually at the BMICH in Colombo.

Why is this so? As I ask this, I myself know that there are many reasons why but how would you explain it?

As you say there are many reasons and one could be that Jaffna was cut off from the rest of the country for over three decades due to the prolonged conflict which ended in May 2009. It is 16 years since and we can see that Jaffna’s tourism sector is changing and is becoming dynamic.

What type of tourism is most popular in Jaffna where the global traveller is concerned?