00:00We already have single mothers and mothers who are having about two or three kids and they have
00:06passed that time and joined and now they are having a you know continuing with their career.
00:13This is Jeevanti Adhikali, a 42-year-old female who works as a manager at a hotel located on the
00:18shores of Lake Kandalama in Dambula Sri Lanka which is run entirely by women. Opened in January
00:242025, it's the first of its kind in the tourism industry where men make up nearly 90 percent of
00:29the workforce. Sri Lanka's tourism and hospitality sector has seen a sharp decline making up just
00:472.3 percent of the economy in 2023 compared to five percent in 2018. The industry was once the
00:54third largest contributor to foreign exchange. It's important to encourage those women to be
01:02the symbol of power in the tourism industry. At the same time bring fame to Sri Lanka. According to
01:10Suranga Silva, professor of tourism economics at the University of Colombo, social stigma, language
01:16barrier, work-life balance, lack of training facilities and low salaries have kept the majority of Sri Lankan
01:22women away from the hospitality industry especially those in the rural areas. As Sri Lankan women take
01:28the lead in tourism, they have challenged societal norms and proved that women can redefine industries.
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