IIM Sirmaur Celebrates World Tourism Day
On 27th September, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sirmaur celebrated World Tourism Day 2020, which marked the first such celebration for the newly inducted batch of the sectoral MBA program in Tourism and Hospitality Management at IIM Sirmaur. The theme for this year, as set by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), is 'Tourism and Rural Development' intending to revive the tourism sector, which is deeply affected by the pandemic.
With the objective to raise awareness and give insights into the tourism industry, a series of synergistic webinars were organised. Professor (Dr) Neelu Rohmetra Director IIM Sirmaur also shared her insights on ways to revive the tourism and hospitality industry. She reiterated that the IIM Sirmaur is the first and the only one among the family of prestigious IIMs to run such a sector specific post graduate program in Tourism and Hospitality Management. She emphasised on the collective efforts of all the stakeholders towards mitigating the effects of the ongoing pandemic.
Earlier, two guest sessions were conducted under the overarching theme "Resurgence in Leisure & Sociability". During the first session, Mr. Rishabh Tandon (Human Resource Director, Intercontinental Hotels Group) presented his views on the topic 'Hospitality - The new climb up the journey from the unprecedented downfall in 2020'. The session was very insightful and enriching. Mr Tandon spoke on ‘Hospitality – The new climb up journey from the unprecedented downfall in 2020’ with his cheerful demeanour, and shared his viewpoints on the future of Hospitality sector. He addressed the prevalent anxiety and unrest in the industry due to the ongoing crisis. He also focused on the changes in Human Resource Management aspects and the consumer behaviour in the tourism industry.
Second session was delivered by Mr. Neeraj Narayanan (Founder of ‘On His Own Trip’), wherein he discussed on the topic 'Pursuing One's Dream & Entrepreneurship’. The second session also started with the same momentum and turned out to be equally fruitful and insightful session for the students. Mr. Neeraj Narayanan shared his inspiring journey and the events that influenced him toward breaking the stereotypes and moving to fulfil his passion. He reflected on the art of storytelling with some incredible and adventurous stories, thrilling experiences and lessons that he learnt in life along the way. He also emphasized on the importance of building real relationships and genuine teams in order to succeed as an entrepreneur or a Leader in general. The event came to an end with a Question & Answer session adding some valuable advice to help students prepare for their future in tourism industry.
