In Sri Lanka, Securing Livelihoods for Youth, Supporting Local Economy

L. M. Hashan Buddhika beams with pride while giving a tour of his boutique hotel in Bandarawela in the Uva province of Sri Lanka. Tourism had been a mainstay on the island country until the pandemic hit hard in 2020. For Hashan, an innovative programme came at the right time to equip him with the skillsets needed to transform his ancestral property into a boutique hotel that practices sustainability and supports the local economy.