PATA 70th Anniversary: Looking Back From the Eyes of Hiran Cooray
The PATA Life Membership Awards is given to nominated members who satisfied at least 8 requirements, including: being an active member of PATA for at least 10 years, being active at various levels of PATA, such as Chapter, Divisional and/or Board levels, has been cited for the quality of his / her contribution in tourism, professionally and within the individual’s community, and more. As a general rule, except for unusual situations, only one award is given in this category each year.
In PATA’s 70 years of history (as of May 2021), 120 members have been awarded this honour.
About Hiran Cooray
Renowned as a trendsetter and influencer in Sri Lankan tourism, Hiran Cooray contributes an immense mixture of passion, honesty, integrity and tenacity to the industry. Carrying on the legacy of his father, the late Herbert Cooray, Hiran is the current Chairman of Jetwing Symphony PLC which comes under the Jetwing family of hotels and will be the brand’s vehicle for future investment and growth in the leisure sector. He is also the Chairman of The Lighthouse Hotel PLC, long known as the beacon of the South. Jetwing is a family owned company which counts a storied history of over 4 decades. His achievements are numerous and much acclaimed, being educated at the prestigious St. Joseph’s in Colombo and going on to graduate from the University of North Carolina and having followed a General Mangers course at Cornell University. Hiran has represented Sri Lanka on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) as Chairman from 2010/12, President of the Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (2005/8); and was appointed an Alternate Member of the UNWTO – World Committee on Tourism Ethics 2017-2021. Hiran is currently the immediate past president after serving for the second term as President of Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka 2014-2016.
Hiran also served on the Board of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (2014-2016), having already served as a board member of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) from 2010-2014. He also served as a board member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (2016-2019). Hiran has also been a Member of the Board of Small Luxury Hotels, from 2007-2014.
In addition, he holds over 50 directorships in various hotels and related companies – making him a much sought after speaker/panelist at tourism related international forums.
My most memorable PATA event was the one I went with my father in 1995 Islamabad, Pakistan. After the meeting, we were taken by Pakistan International Airlines to the K2 mountain range, and that was fantastic. We had a super time over there.
The one speech that inspired me most was the first PATA conference that I attended in 1991 in Bali, where Professor David Suzuki spoke of the environment. He vexed eloquently for 45 minutes on the need to protect the environment that serves us most, and that changed my thinking. At that time, I was a young man attending my first PATA event with my dad and mom, and that was truly inspirational for me and changed the way I looked at tourism from then on.
One thing that I liked about PATA is the PATA Green Leaf. PATA was a pioneer in spreading the need to protect the environment and part of it very well, with the launch of Green Leaf. Unfortunately, it didn't go through, but that led to Green Globe and many other PATA related initiatives. The Green Leaf of PATA in the 1990s led by my own Sri Lankans, Lakshman Ratnapala and Renton de Alwis, went a long way.
Being a PATA member is something very special. What I liked was the fact that we met so many people and travelled to so many destinations. It is something that I will always treasure. A lot of friends we have across the world and a lot of places we visited would not have happened, if not for PATA. I also cannot forget the research and the intelligence that came in, especially in the earlier years. Now, of course, research is available online for free, but in the past, it was part of which educated us most of the time.
Story Time! Fun moments during PATA events:
There were many hilarious moments, during the meetings and off-meetings, too numerous to mention. But whenever the late legend Alwin Zecha spoke during meetings and off-meetings, it was always fun and educational, and I appreciated it very much. We learned a lot from Alvin and many other seniors during that time.
