India, Australia to cooperate in hotel management

New Delhi, Oct 6 (UNI) As part of the effort to develop world-class tourism management curriculum, India and Australia today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to estabish a co-operative relationship in the field.

The MoU was signed by National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology and the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism of Australia, in the presence of the Tourism Secretary A K Mishra and other senior officials.

''The objective of the MoU is to establish a co-operative relationship between the two organisations for addressing the hospitality education and training needs of the new tourism directions in India. The cooperation is also expected to result in joint training opportunities in National Council's affiliated institutions and exchange of tourism and hospitality academics between the two countries,'' Ministry sources said.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Mishra said India has a vibrant tourism industry and is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for international tourists. Last year, about four million foreign tourists visited India and it is expected that by the end of the Eleventh Plan period, that is the year 2012, the country should be receiving about 10 million tourists per year.

In recognition of this potential, tourism has been included in the infrastructure sector and the Government is making all efforts to improve tourism infrastructure, especially the first entry points like airports, he said.

He highlighted the huge untapped potential that India has in niche products like eco-tourism and cultural tourism. We need to offer well-packaged products to the international tourists and it is here that the cooperation with Australian tourism industry is going to help, he remarked.

In accordance with the Tourism Ministry's renewed focus on human resource development for the hospitality sector, the National Council and the Institutes of Hotel Management are playing a key role in providing trained manpower for the sector.

As international linkages are critical in qualitative growth of these institutes, the National Council has recently signed a MoU with the VATEL International Business School, France.

''Also on anvil is an MoU with the Singapore Hotel Schools,'' sources said.

UNI SH SBA KN1958