Hospitality
On a hospitable turf
With its big bucks and a wide variety of courses and careers, the thriving hospitality industry is an attractive option after Class XII even if you don’t have high grades. The industry offers many options, both in what you can do and where you work. A charming personality and passion to serve and help guests will take you far in this field.
Gauri Chhabra

Atithi devobhava — Guest is like God. This is the nucleus around which the entire hospitality and tourism sector revolves. Travel and hospitality is a competitive and service-oriented industry. So those eyeing an opportunity in this segment should be ready to face challenges, adjust to change, and most importantly should be good communicators.

Tourism is currently one of the most profitable industries and has created more than 20 million jobs in India. There are undergraduate courses in both hospitality and tourism being provided in various institutes across India. These courses are offered as per the strict guidelines of the Ministry of Tourism and the AICTE.

The hospitality industry contributes a significant amount to the economy of India. Students are viewing this industry as a goldmine. A degree in hotel management will be able to provide you with lucrative career opportunities for a long time.

Elaborate course

Though there are many courses available, one should be sure of one’s area of interest before taking a plunge into this field. Courses are available at all levels, including certificate, diploma, bachelor’s and master’s.

Apart from the general foundation courses, specialised programmes such as diploma in bakery and confectionery; diploma in housekeeping; diploma in front office; diploma in food and beverage service; diploma in food production; certificate course in hotel and catering management; craftsmanship course in food and beverage service and food production; post-graduate diploma in accommodation operation and management; bachelor’s degree in hotel management; bachelor’s degree in travel and tours; master’s degree in hospitality administration; master’s degree in travel and tourism and many more, are offered by various government and private institutes all over the country.

Getting there

Class XII pass-outs can pursue a diploma or bachelor’s degree programme in hotel management to get professional training. Most hotel management institutes test students through a written examination followed by a group discussion and interview. Final year students can specialise in their area of interest and aptitude like the front office, food and beverage, housekeeping or food production etc.

Operations, engineering, security, marketing, public relations finance and IT are other areas of specialisation.

Those seeking an entry into the field can either join a travel agency or a tour operating company or take up a position in a government department or corporation. New entrants are given on-the-job training.

India has some of the better hospitality colleges in the world. With big names in the hotel industry such as Oberoi, Taj, WelcomGroup and Merit Swiss, which have their own training wings, students have a good platform to learn on the job and hone their skills under the best professionals in the hospitality sector. These training hotels are usually regulated by the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) and the undergraduate degree is awarded by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

The region has a number of good hotel management institutes offering a wide array of courses. Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition and Chitkara School of Hospitality in Chandigarh, Sikkim Manipal University, Ludhiana, Lovely Professional University and Indian Management Training and Research Institute, Jalandhar; and Amity School of Hospitality, Noida, are some of the institutes in the region.