Jammu meet on job creation

The National Tourism Entrepreneurship Development Summit (NTEDS), held in Jammu from January 30-31, 2014, was unique in more ways than one. It was organised by the newly set-up Department of Tourism and Travel Management, Central University of Jammu.

The focus of the summit was job-creation and Foreign Exchange Earning capacity of tourism. Deepakraj Gupta, Head, Department of Tourism and Travel Management, CUJ, said that the true potential of tourism can be reached by being entrepreneurs, and not just job-seekers. Dinesh Awasthi, Director, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, said that to meet the growing requirements of the tourism industry, good entrepreneurs are required. MI Parry, Director, Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute, asked the youth to be 'change agents'.

SC Bagri, ViceChancellor, Himgiri Zee University, Dehradun, gave several examples where tourism- related ventures had been successful, in fields like eating places, books, guides and other activities.

SS Bloeria, ViceChancellor, CUJ, said that people are on the move and have to be looked after. Eco-tourism and health-tourism are among the areas worth exploring, VC said.

G Anjaneja Swamy, Professor, School of Management, Pondicherry University, added a new dimension to the subject by exploding some myths connected with entrepreneurship.

Himmat Anand, founder of Tree of Life Resort and Spa, near Jaipur, gave up his lucra- tive job to set up his own venture. He asked the youth to put full commitment, consistency and communication skills to be successful. Use of social media was very important today, as was the will to succeed, he advised. Gour Kanjilal, Executive Director, Indian Association of Tour Operators, and a former tourism official, asked the youth to have a global outlook, with the rise of the internet. Rajive Gupta, VC, asked the youth to develop ideas, have high standards, ethics and repay society. Some of the projects prepared and presented by the students included - heritage village in Sandhara, in Himachal Pradesh, rural tourism project in Kashmir, Dogri culture and cuisine in Jammu, Tehri Dam rural development, Ocean Hamlet near Puducherry, an old hotel concept near Ajanta, and agro/rural projects near Mumbai.