PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa higher education department has planned to begin a new degree programme in the government commerce colleges of the province early next year to produce skilled manpower for the local tourism industry.

The bachelor of studies programme in hospitality and tourism management will be launched in the Government College of Commerce, Abbottabad, as a pilot project in the next semester beginning in Jan 2019.

Chief planning officer of the higher education department Hamid Naveed told Dawn that the province had thousands of hotels and restaurants, especially in the scenic northern areas, catering to the growing numbers of visitors during the peak season but most of their managers and other employees were unskilled.

He said a three months hospitality certificate course was launched in Swat two years ago and that all those, who had successfully completed it, had got good-paying jobs in local hotels.

Programme to be launched in Abbottabad, Bisham colleges

Mr Naveed said the department had also planned to launch the hospitality and tourism management discipline in the Government College, Bisham, for which Rs10 million would be allocated in the 2018-19 budget to be passed by the provincial assembly soon.

Director general (commerce education) Mohammad Nadeem told Dawn that the hospitality and tourism subject had already been taught at degree level in Punjab’s private colleges.

When asked the new course’s contents, Mr Nadeem said the hospitality and tourism students would be taught regarding cooking and baking, food and beverages, hotel and tourism financing, tour operation, air ticketing and travel business, front office management, tourism and guides.

He said hundreds of thousands of people worked in the scenic valleys of KP, including Swat, Abbottabad, Kaghan and Naran, but visitors often complained about their bad attitude.

The DG said tourists also complained about lack of cleanliness in hotels and restaurants.

“All such issues will go away after the hospitality and tourism students get jobs after course completion here,” he said.

Mr Nadeem said the revenue of hotels would also increase by the deployment of skilled workers.

He said after success execution in Abbottabad and Bisham, the hospitality and tourism degree course would be introduced in other commerce colleges of the province.

The DG said the College of Tourism and Hotel Management Pakistan, which was affiliated with the top British institutes and was recognised internationally, provided professional assistance for the initiative.

When asked about the recognition of the degree as no university of KP has expertise in the field, he said the University of Abbottabad, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan and University of Peshawar would be approached for the purpose.

He however said if universities in question were not in a position to affiliate the colleges offering those courses, then international institutes would be contacted.

Mr Nadeem said the College of Tourism and Hotel Management Pakistan had agreed to provide the required cooking experts and help for the establishment of a cooking lab.

He said the college would also provide books and designing course as it had a rich experience in the tourism and hotel management.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2018