H.P.S Barsal is the general manager of Amaya Kuda Rah, with over 25 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality sector. He has a wealth of knowledge to share with all of you enthusiastic readers who want to learn more about this industry!

The Travelution team sat down with H.P.S Barsal to learn more about his career background, his role at Amaya Kuda Rah, and how he sees the resort developing.

• Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

For the past 25 years, I've worked as a hotelier. I have worked in a variety of locations, hotels and resorts, so I have experience in every field and aspect of the hospitality industry. The only thing on my hospitality checklist that I haven't ticked off is working at a hotel in space or a cruise ship, but I have extensive expertise and knowledge from numerous destinations and hotel setups.

• Could you tell us about your journey in the tourism and hospitality industry? How did it all start?

Coming from a family with a defense and engineering background with no interest in a similar field was a very new thing for me. It was actually my cousin who was big time into hotels that inspired me to pursue a career in this field, so that’s how I got into this industry, and the rest is history. This industry exposes you to a lot of people and you learn various things from their unique cultures and languages. My journey has been filled with great experiences and it has been a wonderful one.

• What do you love about Amaya Kuda Rah and how has your experience been in this beautiful property so far?

Amaya is an extremely beautiful and cozy boutique island. What I love about this place is that, even though the island is very small, it still has a stunning layout. The product is amazing, and the facilities are comparable to any other large resort, despite its size. Not only do we have our own disco, game rooms and dining setups but each room also comes with their own pool. The island's size is really favorable because it is less congested, which helps to provide our guests with much-needed privacy and isolation. This complements the post-covid safety measures nicely and allows us to provide a more personalized experience for our guests. In addition, the resort is blessed with plenty of greenery, white sandy beaches, and an abundance of marine life. In fact, we're on Kuda Tila: one of the top five diving spots in the Maldives, providing our visitors with a true "sun, sand, and sea" experience.

• Did you have any personal challenges while working in hospitality industry in Maldives?

Maldives has a very tough geographical terrain and despite all their limitations, the country functions so efficiently. I was spellbound to understand the kind of infrastructure that this country has made and how their tourism is flourishing. The biggest challenge was getting a hold of and realizing that running a private island is similar to running a small city, as you have to take care of everything. Regardless, it was a great learning experience.

• What are some of the biggest milestones in your career while working in the Maldives? Could you tell us about any proud achievements?

My most significant achievement is that I now manage a whole township rather than just a hotel or a resort. Before coming to the Maldives, I worked in a city, a beachside resort, a hill station resort, or a budget hotel; the difference is that the city provides all of the basic necessities. Working in the Maldives has taught me how to be self-sufficient and to make the best use of my resources. Learning to appreciate resources that were previously taken for granted is a great accomplishment in itself, and learning to administer an entire estate on the basis of a sustainable environment is a significant achievement.

• What’s your advice to the younger generation looking to join the tourism industry?

Today's Millennials enjoy learning, traveling, meeting new people, and seeing new things, thus there is no better platform where you can accomplish all of this while still getting paid. What’s even better is that it doesn't involve any special abilities; simply possessing fundamental manners such as humility, politeness, and the ability to listen is sufficient. If you have these qualities, hospitality is as simple as having a guest over, so I wish them all the best.

• Do you think that Amaya Kuda Rah is a potential resort for Maldivians to kick start a career?

Yes! A hundred percent, because Amaya Kuda Rah exemplifies the rustic and minimalistic approach that is so prominent as it demonstrates how effectively and efficiently this country has utilized its resources. It also depicts a well-balanced combination of premium and luxury services, giving them a well-rounded appearance. Furthermore, unlike a larger resort where you are assigned to deal with and learn about only one aspect of the profession, here you will learn about the operation of a variety of departments, allowing you to develop many talents. As a result, I would strongly suggest that Amaya Kuda Rah is an excellent place to hone one's raw talent and get a head start in their career.

• How will you encourage more Maldivians to work in Amaya Kuda Rah, especially millennials? Do you have any internship programs for them?

Definitely! We are really interested in implementing internship programs. In fact, we're in talks with the government organization that's seeking for locals who want to join Amaya Kuda Rah. Because I believe that visitors to the Maldives do not come here to see individuals of other nationalities; rather, they come to experience and learn from the Maldivian people’s strength and forte. As a result, we would be delighted to work with the government and everyone else to develop and utilize local manpower and skills, which are prominent for us and everyone else in this industry.

• What are the safety protocols and measures undertaken to ensure the safety of the guests during these difficult times in the pandemic?

The safety of my staff is by far the most important to me, because the safety of my employees and guests are interlinked. We follow all relevant procedures and ensure there are no crowded areas and no mixings. Our resort is less congested due to the fact that we are a small property with a limited and multi-skilled workforce. We also follow all government-mandated procedures, such as cleaning rooms and public areas according to "Amaya Safety" protocols, ensure that all our supplies and products are disinfected properly before entering our property, encourage our staff to be well-covered while traveling off-island, conduct random testing for staff, encourage them to avoid close gatherings, provide single accommodation  to all of our front-line workers, including those at junior levels, so that in the event of a spread, the potential of cross-contamination is reduced. All of our employees cherish these safety precautions, and it is due of this that we have not had a single instance of Covid in Amaya to date. I believe this is a tremendous accomplishment for our team, and things are looking well so far.

• Would you like to say a few encouraging words to our youth on never giving up on their dreams?

I would encourage everyone to follow their path because the journey of life is to travel, meet people, achieve new things, and to give back equally to our society, so I would encourage them to do that, because this industry, like any other industry, has strengths that we need to capitalize on in order to become good humans who add value and sustainability to life. Therefore, we should all follow this and that's what the youth needs to do and they I’m sure that they are very keen learners.

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