Sri Lanka’s tourism industry continues to grow, but female participation in the workforce remains below 10%. To help shift that narrative, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts is bringing together female leaders from across tourism, hospitality, aviation and travel to inspire girls and young women to see the industry differently.
On 27 March 2026, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts will host YOUR PLACE. YOUR POWER. – Women in Tourism Career Summit at the Cinnamon Hospitality Academy, creating a space for students, young professionals, educators and entrepreneurs to connect with women who are already shaping the sector.
For Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, this initiative is closely tied to its own workforce journey. The group has successfully achieved its female participation target for 2026, bringing the overall figure to 20% a significant milestone and a reflection of the collective effort across its properties. But beyond its own organisation, the wider industry still has work to do. For many young women, tourism careers remain misunderstood. Concerns around safety, social perceptions, limited awareness of career pathways and a lack of visible role models continue to shape decision-making at the point of entry. This summit is Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts way of helping change that narrative by creating a space where young women can hear directly from leaders in the industry, ask questions openly, and better understand the breadth of opportunity available across the tourism ecosystem.
The summit will begin with industry insights, including key findings on female participation in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, setting the context for both the challenges and opportunities ahead. This will be followed by a keynote by Dulani Guruge, Founder and Managing Director of Mountain Boutiques Luxury Collection, whose journey reflects the rise of women led leadership in hospitality. At the heart of the programme is the Industry Leadership Panel, “Claiming Your Place,” moderated by Dinushka Chandrasena, Editor Travel Talk Asia, featuring Angeline Ondaatjie, Vice President of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL), Bobby Jordan, Vice President of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), Dinali Dandeniya, President of the Ceylon Cafés & Restaurants Collective (CCRC), Jeewanthi Adhikari, General Manager of Amba Yaalu, Gitanjali Chakravarthy, President of the Sri Lanka Hotel School Graduates Association (SLHGA), Nadeeka Liyanage, President of the Sri Lanka Association of Professional Conference, Exhibition and Event Organisers (SLAPCEO), and Kamal Munasinghe, Senior Vice President Colombo Hotels & General Manager Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Sri Lanka, bringing together a cross section of leaders from across the tourism industry. Following the panel, the summit will move into Career Connect, a speed networking session designed to give participants direct access to industry professionals through small group conversations
The event is curated to make opportunity more visible. It is a recognition that the industry does not simply need more women to join it, it needs clearer pathways, better representation, and more open conversations about what a future in tourism can look like.
