The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Qatar has initiated an internship program in collaboration with The Ned Doha, a luxury hotel and private members’ club in Doha, to provide international industry exposure and practical training opportunities for students of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM).
The first batch of eight out of 12 Sri Lankan students arrived in Doha and commenced their internships on 25 October 2026, gaining practical experience in key hospitality areas, including front office operations, housekeeping and culinary arts.
During his official visit to Qatar to participate in the World Investment Forum 2026, Tourism Deputy Minister Prof. Ruwan Ranasinghe, attended the inauguration ceremony at The Ned Doha and congratulated the students on commencing their professional training.
Addressing the occasion, the Deputy Minister highlighted the Government’s commitment to developing a skilled workforce for Sri Lanka’s tourism industry by providing young people with international exposure, practical experience and opportunities to acquire internationally recognised hospitality skills and standards. He expressed confidence that such initiatives would contribute to improving the quality and competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s tourism sector.
The Deputy Minister also expressed appreciation to The Ned Doha for providing internship opportunities to Sri Lankan students and encouraged the hotel to expand the programme by accommodating more trainees in the coming years. He further acknowledged the efforts of SLITHM and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Doha in initiating and implementing the programme.
The Ned Doha Managing Director Massimiliano Binda, stated that more than 40 Sri Lankan professionals are currently employed at the hotel and commended their performance and contribution to its operations. He also proposed establishing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the relevant institutions to formalise arrangements and facilitate the recruitment of additional Sri Lankan interns in the future.
The event was attended by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Qatar Sithara Khan; Minister of the Embassy of Sri Lanka Dharmasiri Wijewardana, Sri Lanka Lanka Tourism Development Authority Deputy Director-International Relations Suranga Liyanapahirana, The Ned Doha Director-Human Resources Denise Dias, Director-Finance Dimuthu Weerasiri, and Director-Engineering Chathura Wanniarachchi, among others.