CESTour Project Management Meeting- Milan, Italy
The Erasmus+ Staff mobility programme was held from 24th April 2023 to 3rd May 2023 in Oradea, Romania. The main objective of this visit is to transfer knowledge, develop relationships between institutions and share best practices between the two institutions. This is a good opportunity for me to exchange experiences in tourism and create an intercultural dialogue. Three staff members from the Department of Tourism Management, Sabaragamuwa University had been invited to the programme. During the visit, our team got in touch with the Romanian culture and Oradea as a tourist destination, was involved in discussions with the students, and met with officials of the Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport while experiencing the European environment. The exposure of this tour was a great influence to apply innovative tourism concepts in Sri Lanka with the support of the European Union. Further, it created a platform to establish a framework for collaboration and mutual consultation with Oradea University to disseminate and promote the mobility programmes for our university students and staff. Prof. Athula Gnanapala, Prof. Rangana Shalika and Prof. M.S.M. Aslam participated in the programme representing the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.
CESTour Project Management Meeting- Kathmandu, Nepal
The CESTour team of the Department of Tourism Management of the Faculty of Management Studies participated in the project management meeting that was held from 10th October 2022 to 12th October 2022 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The main purpose of the visit was to make efforts to develop a sustainable social business model in tourism that continues forever sustainably. The visit provided an opportunity to observe the sustainable tourism practices in Nepal and developed a comparative analysis of Nepal, India and Sri Lanka. During the meeting, project members especially focus on the progress of the project and the development and implementation of centres of excellence for sustainable tourism to enhance their knowledge about the concept and create an impact on future developments in the tourism industry. Prof. Athula Gnanapala, Prof. Rangana Shalika and Ms Chrishika Fernanado participated in the meeting representing the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.
CESTour Project Management Meeting- Graz Austria
The project management meeting of the CESTour Project was held from 9 th May 2022 to 11 th May 2022 in Graz, Austria. The main purpose of this meeting was to discuss the progress of the project and get some experience in sustainable tourism projects launched there and implementation of it. Three project members from Sabaragamuwa University had been invited to the meeting. This meeting proposed to establish a framework for collaboration and mutual consultation with the project consortium to disseminate and promote the project and its results; give input on local/regional initiatives in the project's field, and act as a multiplier to reach out to target groups. During the meeting, members discussed the importance of developing a social business model in tourism that will continue forever sustainably. The initial discussion with the project partners provided a broader idea of applying the concept for the betterment of Sri Lanka as well as the university. Prof. Athula Gnanapala, Prof. Rangana Shalika and Mr. Hiran Dinusha participated the meeting representing Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka.
