The tourism industry is considered as one of the largest and the most diverse industries in the world. It has been drawing attention as a modern service industry and the device to create connectivity among nations and various people across the world. This industry has the most potential in the world. Every 1 in 10 jobs; generating 10% of global GDP and 9 % of the world’s jobs are part of this industry. Currently there are more than 5 million jobs available in the world; and roughly 0.5 million jobs are in Bangladesh. It is expected that by 2022 more than 2.5 million jobs will be created in Bangladesh in this field. The estimated statistics indicate that there are many possibilities and potentials existing in our country. Unfortunately, due to the lack of strategic attention, tourism industry has not shown considerable progress.

At present, there are innumerable local hotels and seven 5-star hotels in the country. The 5 star hotels can host about 2000 guests in their slightly above 1600 suites and rooms. Apart from tourists, a large number of foreign buyers, diplomats, government and international agency employees, and business travelers visit Bangladesh regularly. The existing 5-star hotels cannot fully accommodate these international guests. The demand for luxury accommodation facility will rise further as the government has been working to attract more foreign tourists to boost the country’s tourism sector. The existing luxury hotels are inadequate to fulfill the demands of the growing number of guests in Bangladesh. Thus, 15 more 5-star hotels will be set up in Bangladesh over the next three years with having around 5000 rooms and suites to help the hospitality sector get along with the development thrust as the country pushes on plans to become a middle-income economy by 2021.

There are multiple career opportunities in this industry like managing hotels, resorts, restaurants, public houses; conference hall, accommodations, catering services, customer services, and management access a range of industries. Jobs are also available in airlines, cruises, hospitals, transportation services, spa, beauty-parlor destination planning, designing and development .The leisure industry also covers sport and entertainment as additional avenues of employment in sport and fitness centers, cinemas, and theatres as well as other leisure venues such as bowling alleys and theme parks. Other service-focused roles in retailing, human resources management and events management also could be of interest areas. Many become on entrepreneur in the services industry like tour entrepreneur, club, travel, event, restaurant, hotel owner and several others.

Despite having such exponential potential this industry is facing a big mismatch between skills demanded and supplied. A high official of a5 star hotel opined that the country needs international standard hotel management institutions to produce and groom skilled manpower required in the sector. He also added that the traditional courses offered by universities and some institutions can’t produce the required manpower. To be partner in fulfilling the gap, the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management in the University of Rajshahi has started its journey from January 2019. This department seeks to develop quality tertiary education in this field. By coping up the modern developments in this specialization, graduating students will have the necessary knowledge and skills to work in the bringing up this promising sector by either creating and/or involving job opportunities to meet the critical and growing need for country and wider world.

The Department is also committed to achieve quality and to establish an effective system that helps in elevating the educational process, in reaching the department to leadership. It wants see itself as iconic department through an even balance between theoretical and practical expertise, while also keeping aligned with the labor market to promote tourism industry in a way that goes with the Bangladesh status regionally and globally.

While we are committed to achieve global excellence in tourism and hospitality education, we continue to forge strong relationship between the industry and students, academic and non-academic staffs, partnerships through industry collaboration and effective teaching and research. In the recently concluded national election held on December 30, 2018, Awami League led alliance got absolute majority and formed the government as such policies remain the same. Of those policies one was an economic policy linked to the sustainable development goals (SDG). The economy of the country is growing at over 7%; the government has set a target of over 8% economic growth in the next fiscal year and employment generation will be 15 million within next five years. Obviously tourism industry will play significant role for fulfill these targets.

Keeping all these points in view, we have designed our course curricular attaching priority to both the education and human resource development of our students so that they can play a very significant role in contributing to socio-economic development of the country. I believe that our students are important not only for the present, but also for the future and they are our ambassadors. The department always be supportive to its students in developing their educational qualification, managerial capacitates, leadership qualities, entrepreneurial efforts, team spirit and interpersonal relationships towards the right direction in order to equip themselves with necessary qualities for facing the challenges with confidence and creativity. We would do everything possible to promote the department and university’s reputation and ambition. I hope the contribution and achievement of the Tourism and Hospitality Management Department would be a constant source of pride and pleasure to all of us.

Dr. Mohammad Majedul Islam

Chairman
Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management
University of Rajshahi