CINEC; Leading you to succeed in the Hospitality & Tourism industry

The Hospitality & Tourism industry is the world’s fastest growing and most dynamic source of employment. It is predicted that it will triple in size by the year 2020, creating many job openings for those who qualify. Meeting this demand for qualified individuals in the industry, CINEC is conducting an HND Diploma Program in Hospitality Management (Edexcel BTEC) and an HND Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management ( Edexcel BTEC).

Following is a summary of a discussion with Ms. Dhananjani Seneviratne – Course coordinator and Lecturer of the Faculty of Humanities and Social SciencesCINEC Campus Malabe.

What is Hospitality?

Broadly speaking, Hospitality is about kindness. This includes welcoming guests and treating them right via meeting their basic needs, mainly in relation to food, drink, transportation and accommodation. It is all about a relationship process between a guest and a host. When we consider the “Hospitality Industry”, we refer to the companies or organizations that provide food/drink, transportation and accommodation to people who are away from their homes.

Why should someone choose this field for higher education?

Primarily, it is a multibillion- dollar industry, thus it offers opportunities across various types of businesses and organizations all around the world. All these are high paying categories to qualified people. In addition to that, those who pursue this area will get a full exposure and the sky is the limit of their success. The exposure is varied and following are few possible areas of employment for students qualified in Tourism and Hospitality. Hotels, Resorts Restaurants and Food Services Educational Institutes Cruise ships and Airlines Theme parks and Integrated Resorts Tourist destinations and attractions Recreation, sports, and Events management Government advisory & Consulting

Where does the Hospitality industry stand today?

Hospitality is the fastest g rowing industry in the world with over 72.4 million jobs within the i n d u s t r y. The Hospitality industry is rapidly growing and is Sri Lanka’s fourth-largest industry and, as such, it offers a wide and varied range of career opportunities.

How will choosing Hospitality lead you to success?

When one chooses to study hospitality, it enables him to enter into a range of different fields, from general management to waiter or more than that. One among every 12 jobs in Sri Lanka is directly or indirectly connected to the hospitality industry. For a developing country like ours Hospitality industry is one of the best ways to win development barriers.

Will this trend continue into the future?

Today customers are changing and a new kind of customers with variety of expectations has emerged. Taking the rapid changes in technology into account it can be stated that the Hospitality industry today is operating under a very dynamic and transparent environment. This condition creates competitiveness and demands more effective customer relations management. Today customers are well aware of the industry and services, and they expect the best. Thus, the industry is becoming complicated day by day. Therefore, rightly qualified individuals will never lose the demand.

What are the categories in hospitality industry?

Mainly there are three categories. 1. Food and Beverage is the largest element of the hospitality industry. 2. Accommodation that includes Hotels, motels, guest houses, rest houses, villas, bed and breakfast units and other places offering lodging represents a broad segment of the hospitality industry. 3. Travel and Tourism is the other element which includes airlines, trains, cruise ships and the staff for each. Travel and tourism requires knowledgeable employees in information technology, and they are also considered a part of hospitality.

Why employees in this industry are highly paid compared to others?

Hospitality industry is a service industry. Therefore, it provides intangible, inseparable, perishable, variable service and also unlike a physical product, the consumer does not secure ownership of the service products and services. Out of seven ‘P”s in services marketing the “People” factor plays a major role in this industry. People in this industry secure intrinsic knowledge that makes them almost “indispensible”. Have you ever seen two chefs with the same abilities share a recipe but at the end the dishes come up with different tastes because the chefs have their personal way of cooking although both have the same abilities?