Hyderabad tourism school in Assam foray

With a view to promote hospitality and tourism skills among the students and industry people in the North East region of the country, Hyderabad-based National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (NITHM), a joint venture of the central government's tourism ministry and Andhra Pradesh tourism, has come forward to impart required skills.

NITHM will train students, industry people and local entrepreneurs at the Hyderabad campus and also conduct classes for them.

At a press conference here, G S Rao, director & member secretary, NITHM, said the school had solicited help and support of the Assam government and the North Eastern Council (NEC).

NEC, said Rao, has asked NITHM to set up a campus in the North East, for which the council will take up the matter with the tourism ministry in order to facilitate the institute.

The Assam government has assured it will select and nominate at least five students, who will be entitled to concessional fees, from the region every year to pursue tourism and hotel management studies at NITHM.

The Assam government's director of tourism would be the nodal officer in selecting and nominating the students from Assam, Rao said.

In addition, people currently working at various state government resorts and hotels will be groomed at NITHM to enable them to serve better.

Also, special training and classes will be conducted at the institute for local entrepreneurs of the state and the region to impart them various tourism and hospitality related skills.

"Assam and Andhra Pradesh need to promote tourism together. For the last two years we have been in touch with the Assam tourism to start the initiative", Rao said.

Tourism is a sunrise industry with a growth rate of 11%. Projections of World Tourism and Trade Council (WTTC) indicate that by 2014 the industry could provide 26 crore jobs worldwide.

In India, tourism is likely to create 1.24 crore jobs and generate economic activity worth $90.4 billion.