The 4th India International Hotel Travel and Tourism Research Conference- Report

The 4^th India International Hotel Travel and Tourism Research Conference

(IIHTTRC) 12 – 15 February, 2014

Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology, New Delhi, inaugurated the 4th India International Hotel Travel and Tourism Research Conference (IIHTTRC) on February 12, 2014 with the objective to bring Industry Managers, Tourism and Hospitality Researchers together to deliberate on the issues related to the travel, tourism and hospitality business.

The Honorable Guest at the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Gour Kanjilal, Executive Director at Indian Association of Tour Operators, India, gave his insights on “A Tourism Concern: How to move forward in this competitive age”. He mentioned that travelers are becoming more environment friendly and would like to visit those destinations which are adopting global eco sensitive practices. They are shifting from 5 star luxury concept to more price sensitive, clean and affordable holiday concept with accommodation which matches the local surroundings, provide local experiences, and relate to food, culture as well as local employment. The tourists are looking into emerging markets like India, China and Brazil for which the Government of India needs to partner with the private operators in Tourism Sector. There is a need for new marketing strategy to emphasize on “Experiential Tourism” products through the removal of bottlenecks such as high taxation, regimental visa policy and civic governance. In the twelfth five year plan (2012 – 17) of the Government of India, there is a special focus on Tourism due to its economic value as also for job creation, poverty eradication and women empowerment.

Mr. R. K. Bhandari, President IIHTTRC and Principal BCIHMCT, welcomed the dignitaries and thanked all the participants for attending the conference. He asserted that due to the changing needs of travelers, increase in competition, and change in macro environment & technology, there is a potential for research in the field of tourism and hospitality and considers this as a platform to strengthen the hospitality and tourism teaching learning process. Mr. Bhandari announced the dates for IIHTTRC, 2015 to be February 11 – 14.

In the key note address Dr. Therdchai (Ted) Choibamroong, Foundation Dean and Director, Centre of Integrated Tourism Management Studies, National School of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand, highlighted the need for “Creativity” in tourism products. He revealed the iceberg model of tourism and said, “There is a need to pay attention to the supply side consisting of tour operators, people, service, spa, restaurants, safety, natural resources, transportation and hotels, that remains under the water; Development and management of tourism being the tip of the iceberg”. He stressed on the fact that there is a call for improving the quality of products on the supply side for sustenance though the industry is running after increasing the number of tourist receipts. Predicting the future, Dr. Ted presented the components of tourism in the form of 5 E (entertainment, excitement, education, expertise and experience) and 5 S (security, safety, service, sanitation and satisfaction).

Dr. Maharaj Vijay Reddy, School of Tourism, Bournemouth University, UK gave a key note speech on Green Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Tourism and Hospitality. He gave his insights on, “Transition to Green Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Tourism and Hospitality”. Transition in sustainable development, Challenges and Targets due to climate change, Tourism Opportunities, emerging issues and challenges for tourism in Green Economy, Adaptation and Mitigation as well as capacity building and awareness raising were the topics discussed by Dr. Reddy. He further explained the “Bio-regional” approach of tourism as a challenge, which stands for creating stronger linkages with local economy and embedding within local natural and cultural heritage.

A vote of thanks was given by Mr. Bhupesh Kumar, Convener IIHTTRC 2014 at the end.

Online social network and use of social media has increased opportunities and potential for achievements in all areas of hospitality, travel and tourism industry. It has changed the face of Tourism & Hospitality Sector providing information to the traveler. These ideas were highlighted through the 1^st technical session of the day “Marketing Management in Tourism and Hotel Operations,” chaired by Dr. Kumar Ashutosh. The papers presented in this track were - The use of social media in the promotion of leisure destination – A Case Study on Ramoji Film City (Hyderabad); Promotion of tourism in Himachal Pradesh through Culture - A Study of Shimla Summer Festival; Gastronomy Tourism and Destination Image Formation; The success story of Gujarat Tourism and Hotel Web-Sites Exhibits Effective Sales and Marketing Techniques for Branding and Positioning of the Hotel Product.

Environment is necessary for sustenance of Tourism. Tourism will never be completely sustainable as every industry has impacts, but it can work towards becoming more sustainable. As more regions and countries develop their tourism industry, it produces significant impacts on natural resources, consumption patterns, pollution and social systems. The need for sustainable/responsible planning and management is imperative for the industry to survive as a whole. The 2^nd track “Sustaining Environment in Tourism” brought forth these valuable discussions through papers namely - Emerging Trends and Developments in Indian Tourism and Hospitality Industry; Impact of Tourism in Kumaon – A Case Study of Development of Tourism Avenues in the Kumaon Region; Entrepreneurial Developments in Tourism and Hospitality Industry – Indian Perspectives; Tiger, Tourism, Animal Ethics and Conservation – A Needed Co-existence; Emerging Trends in Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Sector. The session was chaired by Dr. Nimit Chowdhary.

The parallel session on “Destination Development and Promotion in Tourism” chaired by Dr. Therdchai (Ted) Choibamroong gave insights to destination development and promotion of tourism. Managing destination development is fundamental to successful ‘Implementation’ of tourism management; where destination managers and stakeholders put into action the priority strategies and plans developed during the ‘Destination Planning’ process. Marketing of New Tourism Destinations and Service in Himachal Pradesh – Analysis of Various Efforts by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Department; Promotion of Pilgrims Tourism in Bhandara District; World Expo 2020 – Heralding Dubai’s Super Growth – A Road Ahead; Pilgrimage Motivation and Travel Destination Choice – A Relationship Framework; Analyzing Heritage Tourism Potentials of Himachal Pradesh. These papers provided some effective measures that can assure motivation to travelers and reassure value for money by making their trip a memorable one. Culture and ethnicity need to be preserved along with promotion of tourism product and services.

The second day started with the keynote speech by Dr. Asad Mohsin, Director – Institute for Business Research, University of Waikato Management School, Hamilton, New Zealand, who spoke on “Cross Cultural Sensitivities in Hospitality: Potentials for Conflicts and Understanding”. The thought provoking questions raised by him during the presentation were “Are multiculturalism, multinational, globalization disheartening words, or are they enriching? Are we losing our cultural values or enriching them? What is the role of diversity in the contemporary world of hospitality?” Explaining the importance of Professionalism in the Industry Dr. Mohsin quoted, “Never allow one simple issue to take away the big picture of your life”. He urged the hotel managers to utilize cultural analysis and insights while dealing with guests of other nationalities.

Talking about “Emerging Global trends in Tourism: An India Perspective” Dr. Sandeep Kulshreshtha, Nodal Officer and Chairman – Academics, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior, M.P., India,  pointed out the growth of special interest tourism in India through theme park visits, adventure tourism, casinos and activity based tourism. He further added that today’s travelers seek for shorter length of stay and careful spending. With increase in life expectancy, older people are also an upcoming target market for tourism sector.

Tourism marketing is the application of principles and techniques of marketing to the general field of tourism. Marketing tourism “products” is different from most other products because what is being sold is the consumption of an experience rather than a tangible product. Tourism product means the combination of products and particularly services, which make up the total experience. With such opinions aired in the 1^st session “Marketing Issues in Tourism Products & Services”, chaired by Dr. Manohar Sajnani, the various paper presentations included - The Impact of cultural attractions and amenities in building image of a tourist destination – A study of tourists visiting Jaipur; Product Development, positioning, branding and Management – Case Study of Himachal Pradesh; Art of Marketing Handicrafts – A Case Study of Andhra Pradesh; Time Share Vacation Holidays and Marketing Difficulties; Green Marketing and its effect on the Destination Image – A Conceptual Analysis; Perception of Houseboat Owners on Houseboat Industry in Kashmir – An Empirical Study.  

The parallel track chaired by Mr R.K.Bhandari, on “Issues in Tourism” discussed contemporary issues in tourism highlighting Geo Tourism, Community Participation, Cinema Tourism, GDP and Tourism and Niche Tourism. Research papers presented were - Scope of Geotourism in Himachal Pradesh & Increasing Consciousness with Regards to Geo-Heritage and Geo-Conservation; Community Participation in Tourism Development and Livelihood Sustainability; Cinema Tourism - The Emerging Trend in Genre of Innovations in Tourism Industry;  Causal Links between GDP and Tourism – A Comparative Study of India and Pakistan; Niche Tourism – Contribution of Festivals and Events to Destination Development in Tamil Nadu; Tourism – A Catalyst to Economic Dimension.

The quality of service in hotel industry is an important factor of successful business. The existing trend of complete quality management in hotel industry ensures the achievement of competitive advantage of hotel companies and is therefore the subject of contemporary research into service quality in hotel industry.  Hospitality Service Quality and Customer Delight – New Directions and New Challenges; A Comparative Study on Revenue Management between Four and Five Star Hotels of Delhi – NCR; Quality Management Systems in the Hospitality Industry; Ethicurean - A Study on Ethical Food Trend, Opportunities and Risks; Emerging Healthy Food Options Offered By The Hotel Industry; The Adoption of Eco-friendly Practices in Restaurants of Eastern India – Antecedents and Accolades were the research presented during the 2^nd technical session on “Hotel Operations and Food Service Management” chaired by Dr. Asad Mohsin.

As service is people oriented, management of a true hospitality profession is crucial for proficient management of the operations in the organizations. The 3^rd  track on “Human Resource Management: Issues & Challenges”, chaired by Dr. Sonia Sharma, had papers emphasizing on topics such as Strategic Training and Development Programme – A Step towards Motivating and Retaining Middle Management Staff of Hotel Industry - A Case Study on Five Star Hotels of Delhi; E-Learning: An Emerging Trend to Strengthen Hospitality and Tourism Teaching-Learning Process; Socio-demographic profile of the hospitality supervisor in a changed South Africa labor force.

The third day of the conference started with a Keynote Speech by Dr. Swarup Sinha, Principal, ITC Hospitality Management Institute, Gurgaon, who stressed on “Service Quality and Hospitality Education”, in an effort to mitigate the gap between the two.  Emphasizing the importance of contemporary knowledge, he commented that “Creativity is as important as Literacy”. Speaking on Service Quality Mr. Sinha said, “Good is the enemy of Great and building a Service Excellence Culture must be prioritized”. Advocating the hospitality Institutes and the Industry about their future, he urged to “Challenge the crisis” and explained that “Whenever there is danger, there is an opportunity”.

A Panel Discussion on “Building Stronger Links between Education and Industry” was conducted comprising of academia, industry stakeholders and industry professionals on the third day of the conference. The session was moderated by Dr. Asad Mohsin. The panel comprised of Mr. Kunal Sood, Human Resource and Talent Development Manager, Crowne Plaza New Delhi Okhla, Dr. Swarup Sinha, Principal, ITC Hospitality Management Institute, Gurgaon, Mr. Deepak Behl, Director - Human Resources, The Grand, New Delhi, Mr. Ashok K. Agrawal, Professor, School of Hospitality Management, G.D. Goenka University, Gurgaon, Mr. Douglas Peter, Advisor Human Resources and Training at KUE Advisors, India, Ms. Jacqueline D’Almeida, Training Manager, Shangri-La Hotel, New Delhi and Mr. R. K. Bhandari, President IIHTTRC and Principal, BCIHMCT to deliberate on the expectations of students, academicians and industry stakeholders.

After the interactive session, following recommendations were framed:-

1.     Strengthen Recruitment: Faculty and Staff

2.     Nominate the industry people in the Institute’s Advisory Board.

3.     Revision of the curriculum as per Industry needs, to reduce the gap between industry’s demands and institute’s delivery.

4.     Institutes must develop a graduate profile to facilitate Industry.

5.     Institutes are required to have a Quality Assurance process that is credible.

6.     Research on real life issues of business: Faculty must involve in active research in order to teach beyond curriculum whereas the Industry should involve in the researches by providing timely information.

7.     Education needs to have innovation and a strategic focus in order to fulfill the needs of the future.       

8.     Provide continuous Industry Exposure to the faculty.

9.     Necessary tie-ups between Industry and Institutes, that give value, must be initiated.

10.                        Increase in number of Guest Lectures from the Industry Professionals would intensify knowledge and experience sharing.                                                                                                                                                                      

11.                        Institutes ought to be good pay-masters so as to attract quality educators.

12.                        Industry needs to have a 360 degree feedback in order to get insights from a trainee’s perspective.  

The conference concluded with the presentation of the conference report and vote of thanks by Mr. R. K. Bhandari, Principal, BCIHMCT & President IIHTTRC 2014, highlighting the salient features of the three days conference. He emphasized that the Conference would have enlightened the participants and stake holders to get an insight into the challenges and opportunities lying ahead due to the rapid changing technology, practices and trends in the hospitality and tourism sector.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  He thanked all the Researchers and Presenters for their excellent cooperation and contribution to the Tourism and Hospitality field. Expressing his gratitude towards all those who participated in the Conference, he appreciated the contribution of the Banarsidas Chandiwala Sewa Smarak Trust Society Group for providing all the necessary support in the organization of the conference.

A cultural trip to Suraj Kund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad was organized, for the delegates on the third day of the conference where the unique diversity of Indian Traditions and Culture represented the ethos of rural India. It showcased some of the most exquisite handlooms and handicrafts of India.

On the last day of the conference, the delegates enjoyed a trip to Agra, the city which gives access to Three World Heritage Sites – Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.