The South
Asian Digital Travel Conversation is a digital conversation organized by the
South Asian Travel Awards to discuss in-depth, to create awareness and to voice
the challenges that are being faced in the Travel Trade & Hospitality Industry
of the South Asian region.
The conversation
has been purposefully designed as a series, spread across multiple episodes of 45
minutes each, with special guests from the South Asian region’s Travel Trade
& Hospitality Industry. Each episode will highlight a specific topic, and industry
professionals will be sharing their voice with regional factual data.
The conversation
will be guided by a moderator who will ask questions based on the topic of the
day, and the guests will share their views, experiences, opinions and
hindrances. The show will be viewed live on Facebook (https://web.facebook.com/SATAawards) every Saturday
at 1130 GMT and a rerun will be telecasted on Raajje Television at
1830 GMT. Different episodes will be presented with diverse industry
stakeholders and moderators.
Episode five
will be hosted by the VP of South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) Mr Suraj Khan and News
Director – International Affairs of Raajje TV, Aishath Shaany. The topic of
episode five is; Reviving South Asian Travel Trade - Hoteliers
Guests for Episode 05 are:
·
Nikhil Sharma -
Area Director Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Nikhil Sharma has over two decades of
experience in the hospitality industry, having worked for major players in the
region across strategy and planning, business development, revenue management
and distribution. He recently served as Chief Operating Officer at Ginger
Hotels, where he led the company’s operations, growth portfolio, as well as its
digital and loyalty strategy. He was also amongst one of the first core team
members at The Lemon Tree Hotels and was instrumental in its growth.
Nikhil holds a Diploma in Hotel Management
from the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi and certification from
Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He has collaborated with
many high profile industry organisations, serving as Chair and Convener for
Skills and Entrepreneurship, Confederation of Indian Industry, Delhi State
Council, and the Steering committee of Confederation of Indian Industry.
·
Suresh Dissanayake -
AVP of Marketing, Adaaran Resorts
Suresh Dissanayake, has 14
years of experience in Hospitality industry. From a Sales Executive at Aitken
Spence in 2003, he climbed the ladder to Assistant Vice President of Adaaran
Resorts Maldives. Adaaran Resorts is the Maldives sector of Aitken Spence
Hotel’s. Humble, down to earth and ambitious Suresh has worked in various areas
of Hospitality industry throughout his career. Having acquired Business
Management Diploma from Open University of Sri Lanka and MBA from New Bucks
University, United Kingdom, Mr. Suresh has travelled to 50 countries to promote
tourism. He is also a member of certified management accountants of Australia
and Member of Sri lanka institute of Marketing. His Mantra to young entrants is
to work hard, be honest and focused and work towards the goal every day
·
Dheeshana Ameresekere - Managing Director, The Theva Residency and
Theva cuisine
Dheeshana Ameresekere is
the Managing Director of the Award-Winning Boutique Hotel, The Theva Residency
and Award Winning Restaurant, The Theva Cuisine in Kandy. The Theva Residency
was awarded for “World Luxury Hotel Award” and is a “Winner of Trip Advisor
Service Excellence Award”. The Theva Cuisine Restaurant was selected as a
“Winner of World Luxury Restaurant Award” and is a “Winner of Trip Advisor
Service Excellence Award”. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration (specialising in International Marketing) from the American
University in Washington DC, USA, a Bachelor of Science in Travel Industry
Management (specializing in Hotel Management) from the University of Hawaii,
USA; and a Diploma in Restaurant, Travel & Tourism Management, Kapiolaani
College, Hawaii, USA.
·
Srijan Vadhera - General Manager, Conrad Bengaluru
An impressive 20 years of rich
experience in hospitality primarily in the luxury and upscale segment. Srijan
is known for dynamic leadership and comprehensive knowledge of international
service standard procedures. In his
role, Srijan spearheads the hotel’s growth and expansion through innovative and
ground-breaking strategies, and remains focused towards further strengthening
Conrad Bengaluru, marking it on the Global hospitality map, as the preferred
destination for business and leisure travelers.
As Chairman – Travel & Tourism
(Karnataka) to Bangalore Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Srijan has an adept
insight and plethora of experience in the weddings and celebrations landscape.
His knowledge and passion combine to resonate the extensive background in hotel
leadership and Sales and Marketing.
The South
Asian Travel Awards (SATA) is the first ever regional Travel Award endorsed by
Multi National Associations providing the Tourism sector of the South Asian
Region with recognition towards their facilities and service excellence. The
South Asian Travel Awards aims to encourage and raise service standards within
the regions of the Tourism industry. The brand is one of its kind with
affiliations from regional associations ensuring the process within a smooth
and transparent procedure. The judging panel consists of high profile senior representatives
selected from destinations with vast knowledge and background of the industry
to assure an accurate and fair process. SATA is a Highrise concept. The SATA
Team have proudly unveiled their platinum partner as Gulf Craft Maldives and
Gold Partner as The Hawks Pvt Ltd and look forward to host the prestigious
South Asian Travel Awards Grand Gala in the Maldives by the last quarter of
2020.