Abstract
Sri Lanka is currently in the stage of rebuilding its economy after three decades of civil war. One of the major focuses in this development endeavour is the leisure and hotel industry. Therefore, opportunities are open for international hotel chains as well as small providers. Small and medium scale hotels face many challenges in operating their businesses economically. Retention of customers is one of the major problems faced by those engaged in this sector. This study discusses the effects of professional training to ensure the satisfaction of customers in small and medium scale hotels in Sri Lanka. In collecting data, two questionnaires were distributed between two samples of respondents. One sample comprised 53 employees from 10 small and medium hotels while the other sample comprised of 30 local and foreign customers. This study indicates that professional training of employees has a direct impact on building customer satisfaction in small and medium scale hotels in Sri Lanka. Both customers and the employees believe that when the professional training is high, the quality of service at these hotels also increases. Thus, it indicates that providing continuous professional training is beneficial to the organization and to the individual concerned. A well-trained employee can increase customer satisfaction and repetition of purchase.
Highlights
Since the twelfth century, many explorers have identified Sri Lanka as one of the finest islands in the whole world
There are 314 hotels registered in Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, the selection of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hotels was based on the convenience sampling method in consideration of the availability of time and funds
It is revealed that most employees prefer to follow practical workshop type trainings which provide solutions to practical problems. 87 per cent of employees believe that professional training is effective to create satisfied customers and support the development of career skills
Summary
Many explorers have identified Sri Lanka as one of the finest islands in the whole world. It has been a travel destination for different travellers. The civil war had a negative impact on the tourism industry for 30 years. During this period, the industry stagnated until the end of war in 2009. With new hopes about development, the country has a strategic plan to move the economy forward in the few years. Tourism is one of the areas selected for this plan that is expected to bring more foreign income to the country. In 2012, Post Office Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer named Sri Lanka, the best-valued destination for holidays (Travel Mail Reporter, 2013), helping to increase tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka, which exceeded 1.5 million in 2015 (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, 2016)
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