New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) To meet the demand for over 200,000 skilled workers in the hospitality sector, the tourism ministry plans to start eight new hotel management institutes to impart quality training.
Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja Monday said the existing hotel management institutes are also being asked to increase the number of courses to meet the demand.

“There is a need of 203,000 skilled people in the hospitality industry every year. To meet this growing demand, we are planning to start new hospitality institutes in the country,” Selja said while inaugurating the ‘Hunar Se Rojgar’ (earn through talent) programme at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in Pusa here.

Under the ‘Hunar Se Rojgar’ programme, short courses will be offered to poor students on food and beverage service and food production. The course has been started in 25 institutes across India.

Selja said her ministry’s focus is to create employable skills in the hospitality sector under the Capacity Building Scheme of the ministry.

“The ministry is also asking the existing institutes to increase the number of craft level courses and short term courses to provide manpower at the cutting edge level,” she added.

On plans for the Commonwealth Games 2010, Selja said the ministry is working towards ensuring that both domestic as well as international tourists get accommodation.

“We are expecting more than 100,000 tourists during the Commonwealth Games. Maximum number of tourists would prefer staying in small and economic hotels instead of five-star hotels. The guest houses spread over Delhi will provide a large number of rooms to accommodate the tourists,” Selja said.

In order to attract tourists, the ministry is framing guidelines for development and promotion of caravan tourism and heliport tourism for destinations that have tourism potential but lack accessibility.

She said they will provide central financial assistance to state governments for construction of convention centres in each state for the promotion of Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism.

“We are also developing sites for Rural Tourism, Buddhist Heritage Tourism, Adventure Tourism and Medical Tourism,” she added.

Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee said the ministry has set a target of setting eight more such institutes and 15 more Food Craft Institutes during the remaining period of the 11th five year plan.