According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism accounts for 8% of the world’s jobs and has the highest potential for growth of any industry. International travel alone accounts for more than 840 million tourists annually. The economic, social and environmental impact of tourism is significant to creating sustainable jobs and quality of life. Hospitality and tourism represents a broad range of career opportunities in industries that include:
- Hotels and resorts;
- Restaurants and commercial food service;
- Meeting and event planning;
- Tourism destinations and attractions;
- Leisure, recreation and sports management;
- Airlines, cruises and other transportation;
- Environmentally sustainable and cultural tourism development;
- Spa and wellness management.
As a vast, dynamic and growing industry, hospitality and tourism provides tremendous opportunity for ambitious students who enjoy working with people. The hospitality and tourism industry operates in a highly competitive environment. It is important that those seeking careers as successful professionals develop a strong business foundation and customer service skills. Graduates of hospitality and tourism management programs are well-rounded with a combination of business and life skills that are in high demand with employers.
While hospitality and tourism has traditionally been an industry that emphasized hands-on experience, the competitive nature of the business now requires a combination of experience and higher education to build a successful management career. To meet the needs of the industry, the hospitality and tourism programmes being offered at the Institute of Management and Technology are designed in a manner to suit the needs of the industry.
The department started in the year 2009. The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) accredited the programme, hence the birth of the department. Preparations for resource inspection for the Higher National Diploma programme is currently ongoing. The department has in place adequate facilities for teaching and learning including physical structures, laboratories and human resources. The importance of this programme cannot be overemphasized considering the gradual drift in the nation’s source of revenue. This has, therefore, made the program one that is crucial as it is suggested to be one of the thriving industries which is yet to be fully accessed. Hospitality and tourism sector of our economy is yet another viable option which has not been properly harnessed for revenue earnings.