Suman Billa, Director of the UNWTO in an interactive webinar with Sommet Education outlined some of the initiatives undertaken by UNWTO to help the hospitality education sector in order to bounce back. He said “We are looking at providing online courses in order for people to use their time and enhance their skills. The second initiative we undertook was the Hospitality Challenge in collaboration with Sommet Education. And the third element that is still underway is the Job Factory program, which is essentially a fair and free online marketplace for job seekers and for their employers to shortlist basis the skills they pertain.”
Speaking on the trends that are shaping the current hospitality sector in the post-Covid world, Mandeep Lamba, President of South Asia, HVS Anarock said “The sector is very severely impacted. We anticipate that by next year occupancy level should return to normal but the rates shall recover by 2023. In terms of trends, the world is talking of revenge travel, and therefore travel shall definitely take an upward trend post-vaccination. Leisure travel is another trend to have come to the forefront, with people choosing locations much closer to home and that is possible by car. Furthermore, isolated locations are also being chosen by the travelers, which tend to be off the beaten track. And finally, sustainable travel is a trend that is here to stay.”
Talking of how Sommet education responded to the changes in the hospitality sector due to Covid-19, Adrian Artimov, Regional Director South Asia, Sommet Education, said “It wasn’t easy and it took everyone by surprise. We were quite fortunate, since we are a hospitality management institute we were already equipped with the skills to deal with such a crisis- agility, the adaptability. We quickly switched to an online model, keeping our students engaged and keeping that strong community vibe alive. We developed totally new online programs in record time. We invested in technology so that the product delivery was there and we also revamped our facilities to make Covid free areas. We are happy with the outcome although the journey hasn’t stopped and we need to continue together”
