College of Tourism and Hotel Management welcomed the newly enrolled students Tuesday during the orientation ceremony. The event, which inaugurated the academic year was held at the Faletti’s Hotel, Lahore.
The program started with the opening speech of Director International Development, Mr. Babar Sheikh, and continued with the insightful addresses of the distinguished guests including GM Nishat Hotels Mr. Kashif Rabani, Irshad Butt Anjum Director Operations Faletti’s Hotel, Nisar Chaudhry Executive Director Yum Group.
The ceremony was presided over by Provincial Minister for Social Welfare & Bait-ul-Maal Syed Yawar Abbas Bukhari. He offered his warmest greetings to the new students enrolled with the Institute. Mr. Bukhari encouraged those starting their higher education journey to display a strong sense of responsibility and mission.
Hospitality Guru, Mr. Masood Ali Khan while addressing the students emphasized the importance of communication and digital skills for the hospitality trainees and stated that the world economy – and particularly the tourism sector – was undergoing significant and rapid transformation, triggered by the pandemic. In this context, digital skills have become a key factor to drive recovery in the tourism industry. Empowered by digital technology, concepts such as ‘smart tourism’, ‘smart retailing’ and ‘smart hotel’ have the ability to promote the sector’s resilience, he said. The students were also briefed about the college’s mission, syllabus, guidelines, academic staff, and departments, Instructors of the department, and code of conduct.
CEO & Founder COTHM Mr. Ahmad Shafiq after his welcome remarks reiterated that the Institute would strive to continue improving the education it provides, in order for students to be thoroughly equipped to seize the opportunities and overcome the challenges brought by the conventional educational system.
Aiming to stay up to date with the latest changes in terms of industry development models, and to keep pace with the times, COTHM has recently launched a Chocolate Academy. It is a training platform for practical education in the fields of French baking and chocolate. The Institute also has been preparing a new diploma in professional baking. The overall goal is to provide students with the latest knowledge and innovative skills, to enable them in the future to rise above the competition in the labor market. In the new academic year, COTHM is welcoming the intake for Hotel Management, Culinary Arts, Baking and Patisserie, Travel, Tourism and Airline Management, and Food, Nutrition & Safety Sciences. In addition to acquiring theoretical knowledge, students will study the practical elements in the field of hospitality. The aim is to enable them to broaden their horizons and widen their career options.
COTHM’s continuous pursuit of excellence in education – since its establishment 20 years ago – is widely recognized. The college also has been busy expanding its global network of partners. It has links with more than 12 educational boards and other hospitality-related organizations from around the world. In addition, the Institute has established strong ties with a number of leading tourism and hospitality corporations, to offer internship opportunities to its students. It is hoped that the students will cherish their time in school, develop excellent skills, and strive to become pioneers of innovative ideas in the hospitality industry in the world.
