CT Varsity organises int’l hospitality and tourism e-conference

Ludhiana: School of Hotel Management Airlines & Tourism, CT University in association with Indian Tourism & Hospitality Congress (ITHC) organised an International Hospitality & Tourism E- Conference on the theme ‘Enhancing Tourism & Hospitality Experience: Promoting Local Culture’. Eminent scholars from 15 different countries participated in this conference and more than 335 participants from premier Universities and Institutions of India, USA, Australia, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Greece, etc. took part in the conference.

Prof (Dr) Varinder Singh Rana, Dean, School of Hotel Management, Airlines and Tourism delivered the welcome address and highlighted the essence of the long term sustainability of both the tourism and cultural sectors and focused on the key points that are required to create a vision for cultural tourism to link and energize stakeholders. Prof (Dr) S.P Bansal, Vice Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh Technical University & President, ITHC was the Chief Guest of the conference who emphasized the importance of local community involvement in promoting tourist’s experience.

There were three technical sessions planned, in which more than 60 researchers presented their papers and papers will be published in the special issue of Universe International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research.

The Guest of Honour Dimitrios Buhalis from Bournemouth University (UK) shared the ways on restarting Hospitality & Tourism Industry- Post Covid19, “Indeed, the industry will bounce back remarkably as it always has done post such unusual happenings. Yes, things are bleak at the moment. The global hospitality market has hit rock bottom, and the once-growing beacon of hope, the hospitality market, has seemingly lost its brightness. In the pre-COVID period, we need to keep the leisure and relaxation paradigm all together.”

Parikshat Singh Minhas from University of Jammu delivered the keynote address and presented the facts of relationship between culture and tourism.

Prof Freya Higgins, University of South Australia, Prof Desmond Onyemechi, Nigeria, Prof. Robert J Thomason from USA, Philip Koutras from Greece, Dr Arhan Sthapit from Nepal, Prof Naira Mkrtchyan from Armenia, Prof Colin Roche from USA, Prof Larry Yu from USA, Dr Mohd. Hafiz Hanafiah from Malaysia, Dr Maria Gebbels from UK and Sunil Tarneja, Regional Manager, IRCTC also delivered their presentation on mentioned theme.