“ATITHI DEVO BHAV”

‘Atithi Devo Bhav’ is the concept prevailing in India since ancient times. India has to offer everything to a tourist for which he leaves his home. The soul touching cold & serene atmosphere of the Himalayan Range at the one end, while the heart throbbing sea shores surrounding the entire Indian land at the other. The heritage rich deserts to tell the stories of cultural richness of India at one end and dense lush green forest hosting a variety of wild life at the other. Indian curries and mouthwatering Mughalai cuisines are the world famous varieties of Indian food. In nutshell, India has everything of tourist attraction. To find more details on the subject, our correspondent met with Mr. D K Singh, Director of Heritage Institute of Hotel & Tourism-Agra & Shimla. Here are some excerpts of the talks with Mr. Singh.

Correspondent: - Mr. Singh, ATITHI DEVO BHAV is an ancient slogan of India, how is it relevant in the present context?
Mr. Singh: -The visit of a guest to the Indian families has been considered to be a matter of goodwill. It is an omen that the home where the guests keep on coming never faces crisis because the guest brings good-luck and prosperity to the family. Atithi Devo Bhav is not just a slogan but also a SANSKAR, which has been flowing through our blood since ages. With the passage of time the intrinsic nature of human being to explore new areas made him to go out for pleasure & knowledge, the ancient ATHITHI has now become the present TOURIST. Tourism has been established as the largest Industry in the modern times, which has become global now. Competition is the intrinsic evil of any Industry. Since Tourism has become a major contributor to a country’s economy, all the countries are now exploring this area and the countries which can meet the maximum expectations of a tourist at an economically priced package, is going to rule the arena. The movement of tourists has generated big demand for more Hotel rooms, skilled manpower and world-class service. Infra-structural development can be initiated by mobilizing fund but services are dependent on skilled manpower and manpower cannot be created overnight.

Correspondent: - How do you look at the future job prospects in respect to Hospitality Industry needs?
Mr. Singh: -The demand of manpower is always proportional to growth of the Industry. As per the G O I estimate, the foreign arrival in India is increased by 11% during 2004-05 and by 15 % during 2005-06. More than 50% are foreign business travelers. Besides this approximately 300 million domestic traverse the country each year and a growth of 10% to 15 % is expected in next few years. To cater the demand of infrastructures, most of the existing Hotel has started expansion plans. Approximately 51000 rooms are being added in the existing facilities of 5 star Hotels like Leela group, Taj group, The Chachan group, ITC, Capital, Ceebro, J W Marriot and others. Besides this 51 New Hotel Projects have been cleared by Union Tourism Department. All these facilities will be requiring skilled manpower to run the entire show. Thus huge job opportunities in the Hospitality Sector are in the offing.

Correspondent: - How do you project this growth in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
Mr. Singh:-As per the survey undertaken by an International Travel Magazine in 2006, India has been ranked as 4th most favoured country for holidays. With upcoming Commonwealth games in 2010, an additional 8 million International tourists and approximately 3.6 million domestic tourists will be visiting the National Capital Region (NCR). India is expected to capture a total Hospitality Business to the tune of US $ 61 billion during 2007, which will grow further to 158.9 billion by 2017. This will contribute to GDP @ 2% in Hospitality and Tourism Industry and 5.4% in Hospitality and Tourism Economy.

Correspondent: -What is the basic training needs to be a successful Hospitality Personnel?
Mr. Singh: -You have to be at least one step ahead of what the rest are. This is the core value of our training system. We prepare our students in an environment, which not only provides subject knowledge, but also develops the capability of using the knowledge gained in the Institute. We are highly vigilant to take notice of the latest developments in the Industry, their basic needs and groom our students accordingly. The key to success in any field is the subject knowledge, application of the knowledge, creative aptitude, and do-die attitude. We at HIHT, are highly concerned about this and putting up all our best efforts to produce the best to convert them into responsible professionals who are dedicated to their jobs.

Correspondent: -What are the fields other than Hotels where the students can be placed after completion of this course?
Mr. Singh: -Call centers, Railway Catering Service, Cruise Liners, Corporate Canteens, Malls, Restaurants are the areas where there will always be a demand for trained people. Besides this, the entrepreneurial natured students can start their own venture also.

ONE MORE JEWEL IN THE CROWN OF HERITAGE INSTITUTE

Heritage Institute, Agra declared as the most Potential Hotel Management Institute in India.

Competition Success Review is the most popular magazine of India, which provides career information to the young aspirants. The magazine conducted a survey of Hotel Management Institutes in India and short-listed 38 best Hotel management Institutes of India to help its readers to plan their career. It has published the results of the survey in its latest issue of September 2007. As per the results of the survey, only the Institutes have been found to be the MOST POTENTIAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT INSTITUTES and out of these two, one is Heritage Institute of Hotel & Tourism, Agra. Mr. D K Singh, Director of Heritage Institute has expressed that this survey has put an extra load of responsibilities on our shoulders. Besides the encouragement we have received from this survey, now we have to put more efforts t deep this benchmark to grow further, we are committed to put our best for this cause of serving the humanity and the Hospitality Industry.