To familiarize the budding professionals about the industry trends and expectations, Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism , Amity University organized the 15th World Tourism Day Convention on "Transformations of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Jobs: Paradigm Shift from Industry 3.0 to 4.0" at University campus, Sector 125 Noida.
The aim of the National workshop was to facilitate an open constructive dialogue between researchers and practitioners based on research works and practical experiences which foster a better understanding of the impacts of tourism and its positive implications on employment generation and rural transformation.
Inaugurating the conference, Hon'ble Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Sh. Prahlad Singh Patel, said “It is an important day for me, as today also marks the birthday of ideologist Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya. Whenever any policy is formed, whether by our hon’ble Prime Minister of India or Chief Ministers of State, the ideologies of Pt. Upadhyay are taken into consideration as all his work has always been strived towards nation building.” He remarked that while following the footsteps or vision of a successful person, the young generation shouldn’t overlook the struggles and challenges faced by the person to reach the heights of success.
While praising the ideologies of Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Deendayal Upadhyay and Ram Manohar Lohia, he lamented the perspective of today’s youth which lacks the quality of self-observance.
Hon’ble Minister Sh. Patel stressed that rural and local tourism is gaining popularity amongst travelers, while the traveler seeks to experience the raw ambiance of the destination but also demands the best quality and hygiene in every service and product. He opined that no other country offers such a diverse climatic conditions, biodiversity, ethnicity etc, hence it is the responsibility of the every stakeholder of tourism and hospitality to train the manpower accordingly and promote the diversity rightfully.
Hon’ble Minister Sh. Patel lauded the efforts of Prime Minister of India for strengthening the International relations which in turn helped in increasing the tourism of India. He called upon the youth to curb false rumours and negative perspective against the country so that the tourism is not affected since tourism industry is the backbone of Indian economy.
Delivering his speech in Hindi, His Excellency Mr. J. Goburdhun, Ambassador, High Commissioner of the Republic of Mauritius called upon the students not to forget their ‘Maatr Bhasha’ and promote Hindi as a global language. He added that in Mauritius too, Hindi as language is very popular. Addressing the students on the convention’s topic, he said. “The theme is of great relevance specifically for countries that rely heavily on tourism for revenue generation.” he opines. He mentioned that Industry 4.0 is now propelled by artificial intelligence, digitalization and block chain management. The technological innovations have led to new perspectives and opportunities in tourism industry. He apprised that now the tourism offered is more effective, efficient, inclusive and economically, socially & environmentally sustainable. “With cyber space advancements, online booking have become easy and hassle free. People can book trips easily, with a single click. Simple updates, specific information, search, feedback and evaluation of travelers are some advantages of online booking facilities.” he pointed out. The future of travel and tourism is technology based. The digital transformation will change the nature of travel jobs and new job opportunities will arise, averred His Excellency Mr. Goburdhun.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Education & Research Group called upon the students to do revolutionary work and pledge to make India as “World Tourist Centre.” He mentioned that India is known for its diversity and there is still lot to explore and promote in tourism.
Promoting Iran Tourism, His Excellency Mr. Mosound Rezvanian Rahagi, Deputy Chief of Mission /Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of the I.R. of Iran, New Delhi apprised that Iran is the cradle of civilization and Iran Tourism has been amongst the Top10 tourism hubs in the world. He further added that 23 UNESCO World Heritage sites are in Iran and the other main tourist attractions are the rich culture and ethnic diversity, traditional music, scrumptious food and handicrafts amongst others. Emphasizing upon the safety, His Excellency Mr. Rahagi shared that Iran is a very safe place to travel and many travelers describe the country as the ‘safest country they’ve ever been to.’ Iranians are famous for kindness and hospitality. “Over the years, medical tourism has also seen a surge. Iran’s primary healthcare system has been rated as excellent by UNICEF.” he mentioned. He invited the students to visit and explore Iran for travel, study or business purposes.
During the occasion, an Artificial Intelligence Lab for Tourism & Hospitality industry was inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister of State for Culture and Tourism and Founder President, Amity Education & Research Group.
The lab will provide exposure to the students on latest applications in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and help them ideate on disruptive technologies of Industry 4.0, by guiding research activities and delivering lectures and specialized courses on AI/ML applications, organizing workshops and conferences.
Dr. Ankur Narang, Co- Founder Sigmoidstar briefed about the importance of Artificial Intelligence Research labs in Travel & Tourism and stressed that the professionals needn’t worry about the future since it is not about losing jobs but the focus should be on updating skillsets as per change in job requirements. He said that artificial intelligence is critical for competitive advantage and survival of the industry. Multiple industry verticals are already getting disrupted by artificial intelligence. He highlighted that travel should leverage artificial intelligence via multiple use-cases such as Conversational interfaces, Dynamic revenue optimization, Recommendation system, marketing & SEO, fare prediction, Tour planning amongst others.
Mr. Rajan Sehgal, Chairman, India Golf Tourism Association advised the budding professionals to have a personal touch in tourism and hospitality profession since not everything can be achieved through technology.
Mr Pronab Sarkar, President, Indian Association Tour Operator(IATO) &Managing Director, Swagatam Tour Pvt. Ltd.; Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Vice President, Yatra. Com amongst other eminent dignitaries from the travel and tourism industry were present during the inaugural session.
During the day, industry doyens conducted various technical sessions on topics, “Technological Disruptions and Sustainability Strategies in Tourism, Hospitality & Aviation”, “Redefining Marketing Strategies in the Digital Era” and “Women Entrepreneurship in Modern Hospitality & Tourism Sectors; Issues & Challenges”, which was attended by hundreds of Amity students.