To fulfil its objectives of becoming one of the leading educational institutes in the country offering quality education, training, research and consultancy in the field of hospitality, tourism, travel and allied sectors, University Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism (UIHMT), Panjab University Chandigarh has organised its first ever seminar on “Tourism and Hospitality Industry – Omission, Innovation and Challenges” which was dedicated to address a wide vista of related issues. Around 133 delegates from various parts of India participated in the seminar and there were 107 research presentations.
The seminar was inaugurated at ICSSR seminar hall by Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Minister for Parliamentry Affairs and Water Resources. Prof. R.C. Sobti, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University delivered the presidential speech. Noted tourism author and researcher Prof. Erik Cohen; Professor Emeritus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel delivered the keynote address.
On this occasion Dr. R. N. Pandey, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and Prof. Manjula Chaudhary, Director, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management were the guests of honour.
During this seminar, a book edited by Prof. Lalit K Bansal and Dr. Prashant Gautam, named “Tourism and Hospitality Industry- Challenges and Innovations” was also released.
Prof. Lalit K. Bansal, Seminar Chairperson and Director UIHMT informed the audience that one of the primary objectives of the seminar was to provide a platform for creating an environment conducive to the growth of tourism and hospitality industry in India, particularly in the region through initiating advisory and consultative processes amongst the stakeholders of industry. The seminar deliberations focused on the current scenario of tourism and hospitality industry, driven by the fast-paced advances in the information & technology field; and in the light of the changes that are characterized in terms of innovations.
The seminar was divided into six technical sessions, Contemporary Practices; Human Resource Development for Tourism and Hospitality Industry; Issues in Sustainable Development; Tourism Destinations: Policy, Planning and Development ; Destination Punjab and Looking for future ; Marketing and Branding of Industry. Prof. Rajesh Verma from LPU, Phagwara present a brief report of all the sessions, while Jaswinder Singh, faculty UIHMT presented a vote of thanks.
The valedictory address was presented by Prof. A.S. Ahluwalia, Dean Student Welfare, Panjab University, while Dean, Faculty of Business and Commerce, Panjab University Prof. Deepak Kapoor was the presiding guest. Mr. T.K. Rajdan and Mr. Navin Kumar were the special guests of honour.
Prof. Ahluwalia, in his valedictory address, congratulated UIHMT for organising such an event, which saw a big confluence of academics, technocrats, executive and industry under one roof. “It is really a great achievement for a very young department to organise such an event at this level and mark its presence at national level,” he added.