Mar 19, Colombo: Premier hospitality chain, Aitken Spence Hotel Managements’ Heritance brand of properties has been endorsed for its sustainable tourism efforts by the prestigious international recognition - Travelife Gold.

Heritance Kandalama, Heritance Ahungalla, Heritance Negombo, Heritance Tea Factory and Heritance Ayurveda have been recognized and certified for their continued efforts in enhancing their sustainability footprint in operations, services, awareness creation and guest satisfaction.

Travelife – the international sustainability certification scheme – assesses a hotel’s performance in managing its social, environmental and economic impacts, and in supporting sustainability as part of its hotel marketing and operational strategies. Travelife sustainability certification is a non-profit flagship program that supports tourism destinations, businesses and travelers in implementing innovative solutions for the continuous development of sustainable tourism.

To gain Travelife Gold Certification, the resorts met all criteria with an independent auditor inspection which includes sustainability management systems – the likes of business policies, legislation, community programs, human and financial resources as well as environment management across energy, water, solid waste, pollution, erosion and wildlife. The resorts are also assessed on labor and human resources, community integration, suppliers, and guests.

“As an advocate of responsible tourism, we are proud to announce that Heritance Hotels and Resorts in Sri Lanka are Travelife Gold certified,” said Stasshani Jayawardena Executive Director Aitken Spence PLC, Head of Tourism and Leisure, and Chairperson of Aitken Spence Hotel Managements. “This is a reiteration of our longstanding commitment to curate a memorable holiday experience for our guests while ensuring that the impact of our property on the community and planet is a positive one.” Heritance Hotels and Resorts originally received the certification in 2017 and has continued to be recertified over the years. “The recertification confirms our collective dedication to minimizing environmental impact, improving economic and social impacts for people in our community, respecting and protecting human rights and fair labour practices and safeguarding animal welfare and biodiversity.”

She further noted that this reflects the ethos behind sustainability that is ingrained into the management and operations of the Aitken Spence Hotels which is driven by a value creation model revolving around strategic pillars, identified by the Company based on long-term aspirations.

Aitken Spence Hotels is part of the Sri Lankan blue-chip conglomerate Aitken Spence PLC and operates 18 hotels and resorts across Sri Lanka, Maldives, Oman, and India. The Company’s owned hotels are reflected under the Heritance, Adaaran and Turyaa brands, popular around the world for their exceptional service and curated lifestyle experiences. The Company’s portfolio includes nine hotels and resorts across Sri Lanka, five in the Maldives, four in Oman, and one in India.