AMRITSAR: The Department of Hotel Management and Tourism of Guru Nanak Dev University organized a webinar on “Rethinking tourism” to commemorate World Tourism Day 2022 under the aegis of Vice Chancellor Prof. Jaspal Singh Sandhu.
Prof. Mandeep Kaur initiated the webinar by highlighting ‘rethinking the tourism’ model which involves improving the tourists’ experience, better managing the impact of tourism and encouraging positive spillover effects on the wider economy. She highlighted the shift towards tourism being recognized as a crucial pillar of development. The aim is to rethink tourism and its impact on the planet and opportunities to grow more sustainably. Going with the theme of the webinar, Dr. Kaur introduced and also welcomed the key speakers of the Webinar.
Prof. Hardeep Singh, O.S.D. to Vice Chancellor being a guest of honor emphasized on the contribution of tourism and hospitality industry towards global economy. He shared ideas and best practices to aid the tourism sector to recover as well as to create a more sustainable sector. He thanked the unique breadth of the sector, touching on almost every part of our society which has the power to drive recovery.
Mayur Sud-founder and director (The Great Himalayas Studio, Himachal Pradesh) delineated that hospitality and tourism sector is a trade of skilled people. The industry has reformed itself with emerging concepts like OFF-Shore Working Tourism(workcation) after the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, he talked about the strategies that would target to meet customer expectations.He concluded his session by considering the tourism business as the business of diligently hardworking people. Ms. Nidhika Sharma- Business Head (Travel Box, Chandigarh) shared her experiences in the hospitality industry where growth is not instant, but constant. She added that tourism is rightly recognized as a core pillar of growth and opportunity. For people, it is a leading employer and provider of opportunities, most notably for women, youth and rural communities.
The webinar was attended by participants majorly students and faculty across different universities of India. The webinar rounded off with a fruitful discussion session where the students addressed their queries to experts. The webinar was concluded with a vote of thanks to all the participants and key speakers for making it a success and also expressed an earnest gratitude to University authorities particularly Vice chancellor Prof. Dr. Jaspal Singh Sandhu for their encouragement and whole hearted support.