‘Good hotels are designed inside out with the practical needs of guests at the forefront’, advice the island’s largest conglomerate has taken to heart. The practical needs will revolve around what matters to rich, young Indian travelers. The island’s largest hotel operator John Keells Holdings, which is rebranding its hotels and leisure related businesses, has figured that India is its future. If as speculated JKH builds a joint venture casino on its head office real estate, the gamblers will come from India too. However Sri Lankan businesses have generally been slow or reluctant to recognize the market opportunity of attracting Indians here. Read the inside story of JKH’s Indian Makeover at .
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Historical tensions apart, the relationship with the big brother has deteriorated in the last few years, so much so that India is now supporting a UN Human Rights Council resolution that censures Sri Lanka’s rights record and demands accountability from the government here. Years of patient nudging to treat all citizens equally have gone unheeded. There is more at stake now with India than tourism and capital.