Sri Lanka, June 17 -- Following the Easter Sunday attack and the disturbances which followed, the hotel industry of the country is facing the biggest challenge of retaining the staff required to carry out the operations of hotels.

A higher number of youth and women had joined the industry during the last 10 years where most of them have gone through the required training and are experienced, if a loss of this staff occurs at this stage, it will take another three years or more to train a new entrant. Thus priority should be given to support the staff.

"Hotels are maintaining their permanent cadres and some hotels are even maintaining the casual and contract cadre but if the government can grant the much talked about working capital loan...