A resort entirely staffed and run by women in Sri Lanka seeks to break gender barriers

DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka (AP) — After leaving school, Jeewanthi Adikari was determined to pursue her studies in accounting. But her life took a different path when she began a three-month training program in hospitality.

She has since worked in different hotels throughout a career spanning over two decades. Now 42, she is in charge of Sri Lanka's first resort fully operated and managed by women. It's an attempt to address gender disparities in a male-dominated tourism sector crucial for the country's economic recovery after a major crisis.

“This is a place where women can realise their potential. They will not be inside the shell. Instead, they will come out and try to perform better," said Adikari, who oversees the daily operations of Amba Yaalu, a resort located in Dambulla city that serves as a gateway to most of Sri Lanka’s tourist attractions.

Most Sri Lankan women don’t get a chance to work in the tourism industry, earn money and own a career. In a country where 52% of the 22 million people are women, they account for only about 10% of the 200,000-strong workforce in the hospitality sector.

Some 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of Colombo, the resort is nestled in a mango plantation and all work is managed by 75 women staff who garden, work in the kitchens, clean the facility, address the guests and provide security in the form of seven ex-military members. The resort’s facilities also include training programs for women to develop their skills in different areas of hospitality.

The resort opened in January and has been seen as a move unlocking women's potential and driving the tourism economy in the debt-stricken nation.

The idea was conceived by seasoned hotelier Chandra Wickramasinghe, who said he was “inspired by the power of women," especially that of his mother who raised him and his seven siblings as a single parent.

“I knew what these ladies can do. I got the idea and put my team to work on it. We got a strong team to run it and it worked very well,” said Wickramasinghe, adding that the resort would enable women to thrive as leaders.

Social stigma, language barrier, work-life balance, lack of training facilities and low salaries have long kept the majority of Sri Lankan women away from the hospitality industry, especially those in the rural areas, said Suranga Silva, professor of tourism economics in the University of Colombo.

Much of this stems from a patriarchal structure and traditional gender roles deeply embedded in Sri Lanka’s society, even though many women have made their mark in the country's politics and have held key positions in the government. The island nation's current prime minister, Harini Amarasuriya, is a woman.

“Tourism industry can’t be isolated from women,” said Silva, adding that women’s employment in Sri Lanka’s tourism is very low compared to the global and regional levels.

Sri Lanka's tourism and hospitality sector contributed 2.3% to the country's economy in 2023 — down from 5% in 2018 — and the industry has traditionally been the country’s third largest foreign exchange earner. But the shortage of skilled women and some of them leaving jobs after getting married have been challenges faced by the industry since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings and the coronavirus pandemic.

Kaushalya Batagoda, the executive chef at the resort, said the industry faces a shortage of female professionals to serve in the kitchen and as a result, most staff recruited to the resort's kitchen were rookies still in training.

"But, the new generation has a passion for working in the kitchen," she said, adding that she gets a lot of applications from women.

The resort has been lauded by women’s rights activists who have long been concerned about limited career choices for women in Sri Lanka.

Activist Sepali Kottegoda said such business enterprises can "open up more safe employment opportunities for women.”

Silva, the professor, said that “a dramatic change” is taking place as more young women are eager to join the industry, but suggested that the government and the sector must jointly provide training programs for women to improve their skills and employability.

At Amba Yaalu resort, some of these concerns are already being tackled.

“This is purely to empower women," Adikari said. “We invite women to come and join us, see whether they can perform better in the career, sharpen their capacities and skills and contribute to the industry.”

Resort manager Jeewanthi Adikari stands with her all female staff members at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

The all-female staff of Amba Yaalu resort cheers as they pose for a photograph in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Nawodya, a stewardess at Amba Yaalu resort attends to guests at a restaurant in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Executive chef Kaushalya Batagoda, left, interviews a prospective employee at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Receptionist Dilani smiles as at work at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Staff members of Amba Yaalu resort walk by the pool after a meeting in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Housekeeping staff arrange a bed at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An employee dusts the living area at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Executive chef Kaushalya Batagoda, center, and her team pose for a photograph at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A cook arranges lunch Buffett for guests at a restaurant at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Technician Sandali Ratnayake fixes electric lights during daily maintenance work at the Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Resort manager Jeewanthi Adikari, center, attends a management meeting with the staff of Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A maintenance staff member carries a ladder at Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Cook Malithi Prabhani, second left, and her colleagues prepare lunch for guests at the Amba Yaalu resort in the Kandalama locality in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated overnight from the official governor’s residence after someone set fire to the building, police said Sunday.

No one was injured and the fire was extinguished, according to authorities.

The fire broke out overnight on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which Shapiro and his family had celebrated at the governor's official residence in the state capital of Harrisburg. Pennsylvania State Police said in a statement that, while the investigation was ongoing, they were “prepared to say at this time that this was an act of arson.”

State police gave no other details about the cause of the fire at the riverfront mansion but said it caused a “significant amount of damage” to a portion of the residence. Shapiro and his family had been in a different part of the residence, police said.

In a statement, Shapiro, viewed as a potential White House contender for the Democratic Party in 2028, said he and his family woke up at about 2 a.m. to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after the fire broke out.

The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was called to the residence and, while they worked to put out the fire, police evacuated Shapiro and his family from the residence safely, Shapiro said.

“Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” Shapiro said in a statement.

On Sunday, fire damage was visible on the residence's south side, primarily to a large room often used for entertaining crowds and art displays. There was still a police presence early Sunday afternoon as yellow tape cordoned off an alleyway and an officer led a dog outside a iron security fence.

Shapiro splits his time between the mansion that has housed governors since it was built in the 1960s and a home in Abington, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) east. He posted a picture on social media Saturday of the family's Passover Seder table at the residence.

State police are leading the investigation. The agency offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

Investigators are on the scene after an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

The windows and door is damaged from an overnight fire at the governor’s official residence on Sunday, April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

FILE - Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2025-26 fiscal year to a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)