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WHATT
13,5 Assessing the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on hospitality
and tourism education in India and
622 preparing for the new normal
Received 8 May 2021 Vishesh Anna Joshi
Revised 8 May 2021
Accepted 8 May 2021 Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Studies,
Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University Ramtek, Nagpur, India, and
Ila Gupta
Amity School of Architecture and Planning, Amity University Gurgaon Campus,
Gurgaon, India

Abstract
Purpose – The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious and far-reaching consequences on every aspect of human
life. As various countries went into lockdown, hospitality and tourism was badly affected and this has had an
impact on hospitality and tourism education too. This paper aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on
hospitality and tourism education in India and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies in support of the
industry. The study also proposes recommendations for resilience-building.
Design/methodology/approach – A pilot survey using semi-structured interviews was conducted and
followed by a detailed questionnaire-based survey of industry representatives and educators. Selected industry
leaders were also interviewed to understand the industry perspective on the pandemic, the “new normal” and
the expectations of post pandemic graduates. The study focuses on four main areas – (1) existing
interrelationships between industry and academia, (2) the efficiency of Internet-based education during the
pandemic, (3) the “new normal” and the expectations of graduates and (4) recommendations for resilience-
building.
Findings – There is a perceived gap between academia and industry that needs to be bridged. We found that
the pandemic is seriously affecting education with challenges ranging from technological issues, disparities
and reduced enrolments to student behavioural issues. Most impacted was the practical training component in
operational areas and especially in food production and services. It is now clear that education needs a shift in
focus from the more traditional, operational aspects of hospitality and tourism to technological awareness,
knowledge and soft skills development. The research also identified a need for better two-way communication
and information exchange between industry and academia. In fact, the lessons learnt from the pandemic need
to be communicated from industry to academia. This is important given that industry expects graduates to be
adaptive, compassionate, able to multi-task, familiar with the principles of crisis management and proficient
with technology.
Originality/value – The study analyses possible long-term effects and implications for the workforce of the
future as the industry struggles to respond to the pandemic. The study also suggests possible avenues and
methods for industry and academia to form more symbiotic relationships and become more resilient.
Keywords Hospitality and tourism education, Industry collaboration, Resilience, Internet based learning,
COVID-19 pandemic
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Hospitality and tourism has experienced its share of ups and down in the past but the
consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are severe and far-reaching. The outbreak of
Worldwide Hospitality and
Tourism Themes COVID-19, which is a disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus 2
Vol. 13 No. 5, 2021
pp. 622-635
(SARSCOV-2), is unique in many ways: its global nature, longevity, severity and evolving
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1755-4217
nature – all with very little scope for organisations to control the situation (Jinyoung et al.,
DOI 10.1108/WHATT-05-2021-0068 2020). The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a global
emergency on January 30, 2020. Soon after, many countries went into lockdown and imposed Impact of the
an array of travel restrictions. Most businesses suffered; but the impact on hospitality and pandemic and
tourism was extremely severe. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all segments/
components of hospitality and tourism: Attractions (tourist places, beaches, forts, etc.);
the new normal
Travel (rail travel, aviation, cruise ships, etc.); accommodation (hotels, resorts, etc.); amenities
(restaurants, gyms, spas, etc.) and activities (sight-seeing, etc.) (Roday, 2020) due to the
lockdown conditions imposed around the world. The hotel sector has experienced a dramatic
decline in occupancies and revenue available per room. Many international hotel chains sent 623
tens of thousands of workers on furlough, while some have increased their borrowings
(Nicola, 2020). Various innovations have been made in the hospitality industry during the
pandemic and new models and re-designed personalized experiences and outdoor activities
have been employed. Among other initiatives, this has meant focusing on upgrading cleaning
methods and approaches to disinfection and sanitization. Various contact points have had to
be re-designed to make them contact free or contact less and now, mobile apps are used for
payments, check-ins, menus, etc. Self-service kiosks are also being used and traditional
restaurant services like buffet dining were closed (Sigala, 2020).
The impact of COVID-19 on tourism has been ruinous; it has affected travel demand,
supply and policies. Tourists perceive disease as a significant travel risk which affects their
current and future travel plans (Rittichainuwat and Chakraborty, 2009). According to the
World Travel and Tourism Council, more than 50 million tourism jobs are at risk (Nicola,
2020). Border closures have led to travel cancellations and dramatically declining demand.
The effects of the pandemic on Indian hospitality and tourism are going to be long lasting and
the industry seems to be bracing itself for its consequences (Kaushal and Srivastava, 2020).
Not just financial losses but also the climate of uncertainty that the pandemic has created in
hospitality and tourism services (Alonso, 2020). The challenges faced by the industry have
also had a rippling effect on hospitality and tourism education in India. Due to the pandemic
and the corresponding lockdown, the mode of education has shifted from face-to-face to
various online modes. The entire education system went through a technological revolution
(Kapasiaa et al., 2020) and a pedagogical shift took place as education went online (Mishra
et al., 2020). As an outcome of the pandemic, the development of practical knowledge,
internships and placements has been directly affected. New enrolment numbers have
declined too (Krishnamurthy, 2020) and a “new normal” has emerged that industry and
academia must accept. Yet, the situation offers some important opportunities which have the
potential to enhance the profession. This study aims to investigate this phenomenon and
consider the ways in which a more resilient education system can be crafted for the future.

Literature review
A review of the literature was undertaken to explore developments in Internet-based
education during the pandemic and the ways in which education has changed while adapting
to the “new normal”. As the focus of tourism and hospitality education tends to be on industry
trends, it is important to understand the relationship between industry and academia before,
during and after the pandemic. The literature also considered the positive and negative
impacts of the pandemic on Internet-based education. Finally, an attempt has been made to
understand and define the “new normal” which is going to permanently alter the ways in
which industry works. Hence, academia must respond accordingly and ensure that the ways
in which it prepares students for industry roles are re-aligned.

The relationship between the hospitality and tourism industry and academia
The hospitality industry and related educational provision should ideally reflect a symbiotic
partnership but there is often a gap between expectations and realities (Cooper, 2002).
WHATT The needs and expectations of industry are constantly changing due to the dynamic nature of
13,5 travel and tourism and academia must therefore aim to align teaching and learning with the
changes that are occurring (Asirifi, 2013). There are various ways in which this gap can be
bridged: internships, guest lectures, developing curriculum with inputs from industry and by
combining classroom-based instruction with experimental learning in work settings
(Fleming and Hickey, 2013). Generally, hospitality and tourism courses aim to reflects the
ways in which industry functions by using experimental learning techniques such as case
624 studies, field trips and job shadowing – yet, they often fall short of this objective (Kim and
Jeong, 2018).
Industry expects students to be developed in a practical way with an emphasis on soft
skills development including interpersonal skills, communication, employee relations (Asirifi,
2013). Internships and apprenticeship programmes are long believed to be one of the best
ways to bridge this gap but there is growing concern about the effectiveness of such
programmes (Sanga, 2019) with a call for more effective and innovative forms of collaboration
and networking to discuss on-going skill requirements (Sanga, 2019). Further, an important
aspect of cooperation that could be enhanced is collaborative research. It has been argued that
academia should focus on the problems industry is facing and find collaborative solutions via
research, while industry should communicate their needs, involve academia and help to fund
applied research (Khan, 2019). This issue is complicated by the fact that many hospitality
educators lack industry experience and because hospitality professionals are not aware of the
possibilities for collaborative applied research with academia and so apathy and distrust can
arise if collaboration is not occurring (Khan, 2019).

The impact of Internet-based teaching and learning on tourism and hospitality education
As the outset of the pandemic, teaching and learning began to migrate online, which meant
that students were separated from their teachers who had to familiarize themselves with new
methods of delivery (Wang et al., 2013). Although education across the spectrum was
impacted, business education especially hospitality and tourism was arguably the most
severely affected and as the industry experienced a loss in revenue and some of those who
were seeking to make a career in hospitality and tourism opted to delay their plans or look
elsewhere (Krishnamurthy, 2020). Further, the education system and its infrastructure in
India wasn’t ready to move into an online mode, especially as the initial lockdown was
announced suddenly and in the middle of the semester.
In the initial phase, the pandemic and lockdown brought the education system to a
complete halt in India (Ghosh et al., 2020). This was due to a lack of technical facilities, a
disparity between the rural and urban/rich and poor students regarding online access, a loss
of interest and the absence of a conducive environment for learning and teaching – among
other issues (Kapasiaa et al., 2020). Though students preferred face-to-face classes over online
classes, they along with their instructors had to adapt (Hermida and Patricia, 2020). That said,
online modes of teaching with other experimental learning methods were gaining in
popularity even before the pandemic, with some calling it the future of hospitality and
tourism education (Kima and Jeong, 2018) and so during lockdown it has assumed much
greater importance. Various platforms were adopted by educators for e-lectures and
information sharing such as the zoom app, Google meet and Google classrooms (Kapasiaa
et al., 2020). The new online mode of education impacted the mental well-being of students and
teachers alike (Besser et al., 2020) leading in some cases to psychological stress and anxiety
(Hasan and Bao, 2020) and worse, depression as many students feared the loss of the entire
academic year (Verma, 2020).
Student feedback is an important part of the pedagogical process and this was negatively
impacted due to the pandemic (Dawson et al., 2020). However, the onset of the pandemic has
meant that both the hospitality and tourism industry and academia had to innovate and Impact of the
adapt (Foroudi et al., 2021). A further positive impact was that it triggered technology pandemic and
upgrades and other forms of modernisation (Krishnamurthy, 2020). Given the shrinking job
market, teachers tried to encourage creativity among students and guide them to consider
the new normal
entrepreneurial possibilities (Zhang et al., 2020). Students and teachers also had more time to
consider aspects of self-improvement and skills acquisition (Hermida and Patricia, 2020).
Given the challenges and opportunities of online teaching, it is equally important to look at
the future of online learning in the post-pandemic period (Mishra et al., 2020) and it is clear 625
that online education, e-learning and the Internet can be used to transform teaching and
learning (Sigala, 2002).

The new normal and expectations of graduates in the post pandemic period
As the pandemic continues to affect conventional education, students not only look to the
university to provide a service but to help them to learn from each other and adapt to
changing times (Krishnamurthy, 2020). Given this backdrop, the industry has some specific
expectations of its future employees and in terms of current students, academia must aim to
respond accordingly. A new “Generation Z” (born between 1995 and 2009) is preparing to join
the industry (Goha and Lee, 2018) and they are likely to work harder in a happier work
environment (Goha and Okumus, 2020). In terms of any re-alignments, realistic expectations
need to be set for current students and new graduates (Tesone and Ricci, 2012) though
industry expects them to know about aspects of crisis management and to response as
positively and optimistically as possible. Given reduced revenues due to the pandemic, there
is less scope for job specialization and more attention and value will be assigned to
multitasking (Kaushal and Srivastava, 2020). Future employees must also understand
hygiene and safety regulations and requirements (Hu et al., 2021) and be better equipped to
work with technology (Bucak and Yigit, 2021).
Soft skills development is a continuing process (Crawforda et al., 2020) and future
employees will be expected to know how to develop their own interpersonal, communication
and team working skills as elements of self-directed lifelong learning (Bisland et al., 2020).
Following the literature review, the study sought to analyse the effectiveness of mitigation
strategies adopted by hospitality and tourism educators in India during the COVID-19
pandemic in order to assess its response to the “new normal”. The study drew on the
following research questions:
RQ1. How is the existing relationship between the hospitality and tourism industry and
academia in India?
RQ2. What was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and hospitality
education in India?
RQ3. What is the “new normal” in the Indian tourism and hospitality industry and what
are the new expectations of graduates?
RQ4. What is the way forward for tourism and hospitality education in terms of
developing a more resilient education system?

Methodology
This exploratory study has two perspectives, reflecting the view of both industry and
education. A pilot survey using semi-structured interviews was conducted with ten experts
from industry and also from education to explore how industry and academia perceived the
gap between them before the COVID-19 pandemic, how the pandemic affected it and the
WHATT problems, challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic and the “new normal”.
13,5 Following an inductive reasoning approach, the study incorporates various themes raised or
highlighted by participants representing: educators from various private and government
institutes of hospitality and tourism in India, industry experts (general managers, human
resource managers, training managers, department heads) and experts from travel and
tourism. Two separate questionnaires were designed for the academics and industry
participants respectively. The questionnaire included both open and close-ended questions
626 and a range of contrasting options were provided in conjunction with close-ended questions
to encourage participants to give honest opinions.
The questionnaires were formatted as Google forms and were circulated via emails and
messaging apps. Individual emails were sent to the general managers of selected five-star
deluxe hotels with a detailed questionnaire and additional open-ended questions.
Additionally, one-on-one telephone interviews were conducted with selected general
managers and principals of selected institutions. To understand the different economic,
technological and social backgrounds and their implications, a purposive sample was used
across metros comprising tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India. Respondents were from diverse
backgrounds and were affiliated with both private and government institutions. Both
quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were used and every effort was made to
eliminate any potential sources of bias. Comparative analysis was undertaken on both target
groups (industry and academia) to analyse their perspectives on the effects of the COVID-19
pandemic and results are collated in the form of practical solutions.

Findings and analysis

The findings of the pilot survey and then the detailed surveys are presented below in relation
to the main research questions. The results reflect (1) responses received from the educators
and industry representatives to the questionnaire; (2) opinions of industry leaders and
(3) conclusions.

RQ1: How is the existing relationship between the hospitality and tourism industry and
academia in India?
The pilot survey established that a gap exists between the hospitality and tourism industry
and academia with interaction limited to hotel visits, internships and placements and those
who went beyond this did so in a private capacity. While the industry is fast-paced and
dynamic, academia rarely keeps pace with on-going development. When asked about which
curriculum area needs to be upgraded to reflect industry developments, 53% mentioned food
and beverage production and service and 46% mentioned accommodation operations.
Further, 57% of respondents highlighted the need for enhanced industry exposure for
students while 7.6% said that the main focus of education should be to build key foundation
skills, which don’t change. While industry respondents felt that there should be a 50:50
weighting given to product knowledge and soft skills development, academia felt that the
focus should be on developing product knowledge. In part, the gaps could be addressed by
applied, collaborative research and while some academics opt not to engage in this, others
preferred to work on more theoretical research and publishing in academic journals,
bypassing the need and opportunity to engage with the industry. When asked about priority
areas for research, both industry and academia said that they value research that focuses on
operational issues and on social responsibility.
In addition to adjustments made by academia, industry too has taken steps to bridge the
gap between academia and industry. Speaking about workshops arranged for students – in
addition to internships – Mr. Dietmar Kielnhofer, General Manager of the JW Marriott Impact of the
Mumbai Sahar said: pandemic and
Our hotel has collaborated with more than 30 colleges across the nation in providing industrial the new normal
exposure and organized workshops for students where we have spoken about industry norms and
expectations, interview skills and other topics.
Mr. Rakesh Sharma, Associate Director, Learning and Development, Radisson Blu, Nagpur,
commented on academia’s tendency to adhere to its pre-configured curriculum rather than 627
responding to current practical issues:
The main challenge faced by hospitality education is focusing on the right product to implement.
Institutes are bound to adhere to academic guidelines/instructions in the form of rigid curriculum,
leaving little scope and desire to implement new trends from the industry, hence this impacts on the
teaching of up-to-date practical knowledge
Highlighting the need for academia to think beyond operational subjects and make provision
for executive education, Ms. Natasha Mehta, General Manager, The Oberoi, Mumbai said:
Executive education (online and offline) will be a key factor for companies in the future as they will
need to ensure that they have a dynamic talent pool. Today’s hospitality industry has an aversion to
executive education. Hospitality professionals are normally sent to attend this kind of training as a
reactive response rather than in anticipation of how the industry will alter in the future.
Internships and placements have traditionally provided the only basis for interaction
between academia and industry and this needs to change. Industry innovations especially in
the operational areas need to be reflected in the curriculum and more generally, academia
must look beyond theoretical product knowledge and focus on soft skills development and
executive education.

RQ2: What was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and hospitality education
in India?
Although 50% of educators said that they had to grapple with poor connectivity issues and
other technological problems, they said that student behavioural problems in the form of
short attention spans, indiscipline and poor online class etiquette were the main concerns.
Further, respondents from academia said that students weren’t sufficiently motivated to
continue with online classes and where possible tended to keep their video camera off, which
has the effect of reducing participation and involvement. However, 12% of respondents said
that there was no difference in the overall responses and participation of students in online
classes as compared to conventional face-to-face classes. Although 96% of respondents said
that practical training in operational areas (and especially food production and service) is
suffering the most during the pandemic, academia developed innovative ways of responding
to the lack of practical training. For example, 57% of respondents placed more emphasis on
projects and assignments and 46% of respondents provided recorded practical sessions for
students to practice at home, given that only 38% of participants could provide live practical
demonstrations (streaming live).
A further 38% of respondents felt that they should concentrate on other curriculum
aspects such as soft skills, communication skills and entrepreneurial skills development
during the pandemic as there have been comparatively few opportunities to organize and
conduct practical training. None of the respondents reported using virtual labs, augmented
reality, artificial intelligence or simulation technologies. However, academia has placed
greater emphasis on hygiene and safety/disaster management (40% each) and only 15% of
educators said that no changes were needed in the curriculum. Acknowledging the disparity
WHATT between the haves and have-nots in India, 61% of respondents felt that some students were at
13,5 a disadvantage due to their economic and social backgrounds.
Another important consequence of the pandemic was its impact on new enrolments and
with the exception of 2.8% of the educators surveyed, there was a consensus that new
enrolments had declined. While 19.2% said that the contraction in enrolments was a direct
consequence of the perceived impact of the pandemic on hospitality and tourism as a viable
career choice, 34.5% felt that the reduced numbers could be attributed to the lockdown and
628 impairment of public movement, not because of reduced demand.
The most consequential positive impact of this pandemic has been on the technological
advances made by industry and academia. While 30.7% of the educators felt that new skills
had been acquired, a further 22.7% credited the pandemic with enabling them up-to-date their
technical knowledge, thereby reducing the teacher–student technological gap and in so
doing, bringing them closer to their students. The overwhelming majority (92.4% of
respondents) said that they will continue to use some of the new technology and online modes
when colleges re-open for conventional classes. Highlighting another positive impact were
the 14.7% of responders who said that students were receiving a global perspective on the
various subjects by attending international webinars and other online events from their
homes and that this provided a broader learning perspective.
Internships which are a vital part of hospitality and tourism education were affected as the
industry shut down. Yet there were many innovative changes made by industry that have
benefited students. As education went online, internships were conducted online too and the
Institute of Tourism Studies, Lucknow University together with the Voice of India Tourism
(VOIT) organized a month-long online internship programme. Mr. Dharmendra Kumar, CEO,
Geanis World & Mice, one of the organizers said:
VOIT launched a unique platform that offered online Internships for more than 2,200 students across
India in order to engage with students during the pandemic and give them a live opportunity to learn
directly from various industry experts.
While some conducted internships online, others came up with innovative concessions and
changes. Speaking of which Mr. Dietmar Kielnhofer, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai
Sahar, said:
We took the initiative of being flexible with industrial training exposure timelines so as to ensure that
the pandemic does not impact learning. Students can undertake training during their summer/winter
breaks or post completion of their academic year. This flexibility is a much-needed step to show we
care and to sensitively manage the future opportunities and talent in hospitality education. In our
case, after observing slight changes in business volume, opportunities for 30 students to complete
their internship were provided.
Yet the absence of practical training was a matter of real concern for many. Mr. Rakesh
Sharma, Associate Director Learning and Development, Radisson Blu, Nagpur, said:
Due to the lack of practical training opportunities, employees will in future face productivity
challenges, as the required skills will not have been developed to accomplish specific tasks. Industry
needs skilled employees which not only saves time and energy but on the requirement for supervision.
As practical training has and continues to be hampered, there are several areas where
industry thinks that academia can focus in terms of personal development: Self-discipline,
time management, communication skills, the developing of an entrepreneurial spirit and on
soft skills in general. Speaking about soft skills, Ms. Natasha Mehta, General Manager, The
Oberoi, Mumbai said:
Hospitality management degree programmes should concentrate on developing soft skills at this
time. A combination of business acumen, an entrepreneurial mindset, and psychological
 understanding of consumer behaviour will enable students to better understand customers. Impact of the
Additionally, developing and managing human-digital relationships will be a cornerstone for the
future. pandemic and
the new normal
Highlighting how technology will revolutionize education, Ms. Natasha Mehta, General
Manager, The Oberoi, Mumbai added:
The learning environment can be enhanced by technology and inevitably, students will spend less
time in class and more time in a virtual reality world developing their creativity and risk-taking 629
mindset. If they do this, students will be more prepared for both work and life as they will have had
the chance to experience case studies with augmented reality. Learning a new language or
experiencing a different culture and its customs can be accomplished in a meaningful way using
today’s technology.
The pandemic has had a deep psychological impact on hospitality and tourism industry
stakeholders and academia (Chen, 2020) and in addition to higher levels of anxiety, people are
generally more sensitive to each other’s needs and more resilient. Commenting on this, Mr.
Dietmar Kielnhofer, General Manager the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, said:
It is important to educate for self-care and care of the environment. Embrace change, learn to live
with it, don’t fight it, remember, the only constant is change.
Even before the pandemic, the work environment and pay levels were some of the key
workforce issues for the hospitality industry in India (Jauhari and Manaktola, 2009). Mr. Chris
Franzen, General Manager, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai spoke of using the pandemic period to
address these issues. He is of the opinion that as the industry wants people who can multi-
task, this may help to enhance pay levels. Elaborating on this he said:
In many countries, including India, hospitality is not necessarily a sought-after career because of the
long working hours, weekend shifts and the fact that other industries tend to pay higher salaries.
This situation has not improved during the pandemic as our industry has seen a reduction in its
workforce due to the lack of business and revenues. Aspiring hoteliers currently in education and in
hotel schools are probably among the hardest hit; there is no doubt about this. The way forward for
hotels will be to offer better employment conditions and pay in order to retain and attract talented
people; if not, they will choose other industries. In future, employees will need to be multi-taskers and
able to manage many areas and aspects of a hotel operation; as is the case in other countries where
the payroll component is much higher.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students in numerous ways and in particular, they are
uncertain about their future job prospects. For academia, reduced demand together with
restrictions on movement due to lockdown has meant fewer enrolments. Yet academia and
industry eventually adapted and have adjusted to embrace technological advances. As the
practical aspect of education has not been possible, academia sought to respond to industry’s
needs and has deployed innovative ways of focusing on soft skills development.

RQ3: What is the “new normal” in the Indian tourism and hospitality industry and what are
the new expectations of graduates?
When asked about the specific attributes which were inculcated in students to prepare them
for post COVID-19 realities and expectations, 84% of respondents spoke of “adaptability”
which echoes what the industry said was the most important trait they were looking for in
new graduates. “Multi-tasking” was another skill that industry experts highlighted and 53%
of the academics said they were trying to prepare students for this expectation together with
an emphasis on hygiene, innovation and discipline. When asked about specific traits that
Generation Z should possess to cope with post-pandemic realities, 42% of the academics
spoke of the ease with which this generation handles new technology and their superior social
WHATT connectivity. While 38.4% of respondents agreed that this generation is optimistic and tends
13,5 to live in the moment, 26.9% pointed out that this tends to encourage them to set short-term
goals. With the dependence on the Internet, and this generation’s aptitude and dependence on
technology, 19% feared that this “Google” generation is killing their own inquisitiveness,
leading to quick-fix “shallower” knowledge.
With limited practical knowledge imparted, the industry is likely to expect more
proficiency in the theoretical knowledge of students. Mr. Rakesh Sharma, Associate Director
630 Learning and Development, Radisson Blu, Nagpur commented:
Post COVID-19, Industry expectations have changed and it is now looking for candidates with good
theoretical knowledge. Competition will be tougher and only the best will be offered opportunities.
As well as concentrating on the theoretical aspects of hospitality and tourism education,
academia should think beyond the conventional scope of their curriculum and work on skills
like team-working and leadership development together with greater understanding of risk
management. Elaborating on this point Mr. Chris Franzen, General Manager, Grand Hyatt,
Mumbai said:
Now more than ever, academia has to prepare their students not only in hotel management, but develop
their leadership and crisis management skills and emotional intelligence – these are topics that are
not necessarily taught in hotel schools. New entrants will have to be resilient and risk-takers – not
something that I think comes naturally in this cultural environment.
Ms. Natasha Mehta, General Manager, The Oberoi, Mumbai observed that there is a
generational leap in terms of technology that the industry has taken post pandemic, and it
expects the curriculum to reflect this and new graduates and academia to be in sync with it:
Curricula will have to adapt to understand the needs of the traveller and the society of tomorrow:
Hospitality graduates will have to identify how to balance the use of technology to enhance the
customer experience. They will require the skills to engage guests with digital tools and take
advantage of systems such as geo-targeting, new social media platforms and virtual and augmented
reality devices. Vocational hospitality programmes will still have to focus on the skills to operate a
hotel and additionally, students will need to use and integrate technology to enhance the guest
experience.
Emphasizing the need for sensitivity and familiarity with technology, Mr. Dietmar
Kielnhofer, General Manager the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, said:
Students should come to the hotel with a certain level of sensitivity and awareness of the current
situation and academia should develop the academic syllabus by tailored learning journeys to close
critical skill gaps. Above, all this means adapting to new ways of training and learning in line with
the new technologies.
Adaptability and sensitivity, multi-tasking, soft skills, crisis management and proficiency
with technology are the main expectations which the industry of future employees, and as
this study suggests, academia is in tandem with these needs and is actively inculcating these
attributes in their students. The new normal will involve a greater dependence on technology,
a keen eye for hygiene and safety along with multi-tasking and an adaptive and
compassionate workforce with the guest at the centre.

RQ4: What is the way forward for tourism and hospitality education in terms of developing a
more resilient education system?
Respondents from academia felt there was a need to constructively engage with industry via
master classes, increased hotel visits, guest lectures, conferences, symposiums and seminars
to facilitate an exchange of ideas and share experiences from the pandemic. Common content
could be drawn-up and the industry could then actively participate in shaping and updating Impact of the
the curriculum. In essence, academics would like to be actively involved with and pandemic and
knowledgeable about the latest trends, policies and requirements that the industry has.
For better collaboration between academia and industry, more engagement is needed. Mr.
the new normal
Dietmar Kielnhofer, General Manager, the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, felt that industry
experts should frequently engage with students and academics in order to share their first-
hand experiences:
631
Increased industry talks/sessions to share first-hand information and updates is important. This
should in my view balance the curriculum with less academic theory. Academia should continue to
research best practice but adapt to provide more industrial exposure. Academia could I think give
campus opportunities to students who graduated during the pandemic and adopt “new normal”
practices wherever possible.
While Mr. Dietmar Kielnhofer spoke of more flexible internship schedules and industry
interacting with academia, Mr. Dharmendra Kumar, CEO, Geanis World & Mice, spoke of
increasing the internship component and spoke of reciprocal two-way interaction between
academia and industry. While he too spoke of expert talks, he also encouraged academics to
work in or with the industry on a project basis to become better acquainted with current
practices:
The internship period should be increased from typically 2 months to 6 months, and more industry
representatives should be visiting campuses to share their experiences. Not only this, teachers
should spend time on project training in industry to gain more practical knowledge to share with
their students.
Mr. Chris Franzen, General Manager, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, didn’t think there is a significant
gap between operational aspects of the industry and academia, though he does think that
there are certain desirable attributes that academia should try to inculcate in the future
workforce:
I do not think that there is a big gap in terms of what is taught and how hotels are run. But I would
like the next generation of hoteliers to be full of empathy, good listeners, entrepreneurs, risk-takers,
able to operate on data instead of their gut feeling and definitely put wellness for their guests,
employees and themselves ahead of everything else.
Suggesting the use of technology and highlighting a new focus on hygiene and safety
because of the pandemic, Ms. Natasha Mehta, General Manager, The Oberoi, Mumbai, thinks
that guest and human interaction should be positioned at the centre of future industry and
academic development:
The hospitality education of the future will need to adapt to the short and medium terms needs of the
industry. Preparing students will be the key to this. It will have to be a driver for the hospitality
industry that is not just confined to hotels but to any company wishing to place guests at the centre of
their interactions. Technology will be the key change agent of the hospitality education of the future.
It will shape the way we learn, the way we interact and the way we work. Excellence in the future will
be defined by the balance created between state-of-the-art hygiene and safety protocols along with
genuine human interactions with innovative technology interfaces.
As the industry starts to come out of the shadows of the pandemic, hospitality and tourism
education ought to work more closely with the industry. Academia should involve the
industry in curriculum development and in student interaction and development and more
practical exposure for students is anticipated in future. Further, hospitality and tourism
education should look beyond the operational aspects of education and develop more
dynamic and sensitive students who aren’t afraid to take risks. Finally, continued
WHATT participation and adoption of new technological advances, a clear focus on hygiene, new
13,5 standard operating procedures and a re-framed focus on the “guest” are all needed.

Practical implications and recommendations for resilience-building

This research suggests that there is a need for a seamless, consistent and two-way
partnership between industry and academia in India. Industry experts can be invited to share
632 experience and insights on a regular basis, including real-life scenarios and lessons learnt
from the pandemic. This could be achieved by increasing the frequency of expert talks/
master classes/workshops for students and by using other platforms to exchange ideas and
expertise between faculty members and executives/managers. Special deployments or
exchanges can be planned whereby academics could gain first-hand knowledge of the latest
industry developments.
The survey respondents also felt that there is need for industry and academia to
collaborate on applied research, with a particular emphasis on finding solutions to current
industry problems. In this context, research could be conducted with a clear and precise
problem in mind with the aim of generating innovative solutions. The industry should fund
this kind of applied research, especially when it is directed at problem-solving and
innovation.
The current curriculum is focused on technical knowledge and academia understandably
values it places more emphasis on this than on soft skills development. Yet industry experts
think that there should be a greater emphasis now on soft skills, encompassing:
Entrepreneurial thinking, the development of business acumen, the study of consumer
behaviour, creativity, risk-taking and risk management. Further, industry feels that
relatively new subjects like crisis management and the development of flexible systems need
to be introduced and blended with a core curriculum that is updated at regular intervals to
incorporate the latest developments and with industry involved in this process.
Respondents felt that the traditional rigid structure of internship needs to be revisited,
extended and provided on the basis of a flexible duration, this is one of the key
recommendations of this study.
Given the on-going impact of the pandemic, there is a greater imperative to study hygiene
and safety and current best practices need to be updated and new standard operating
procedures devised. Students must be more aware of and sensitive to their surroundings.
Industry representatives also said that the values of self-care and care for the environment
should be inculcated along with a clear focus on the guest’s needs, comfort and safety.
As pointed out in the study, the newer Generation Z has better aptitude for technology and
so the technological advances made by industry should be incorporated and used to drive
hospitality and tourism education. They include: virtual labs, augmented reality devices, geo-
targeting and new social media platforms and students should be encouraged to be more
creative and innovative using technology. This could be accomplished for instance via case
studies that are conducted with augmented reality. Further, encouragement should be given
to develop innovative technological solutions by fostering inter-disciplinary research
collaboration at the local, national and international levels.
Finally, now and beyond the pandemic, industry say that they need multi-taskers who are
adaptable and resilient risk managers as its future employees. To facilitate this, students
should be encouraged to enhance their skills and increase their scope and interests beyond
the traditional operational specialisms.

Conclusion
As the COVID-19 pandemic caught hospitality and tourism academia off guard, it did
eventually mitigate the situation by adopting various teaching and learning strategies with
the support of industry. Given these developments, those involved in this study think that Impact of the
industry and academia should continue to engage and collaborate with each other and use the pandemic and
positive advances brought forth by the pandemic. They include enhanced technological
competency, automation, digitalization, a renewed focus on hygiene and on soft skills. In so
the new normal
doing students will be better equipped and able to make a relatively seamless transfer from
education into the industry. Despite the above, there is still much to be done to build resilience
for the future and in this regard, academia cannot operate in isolation as the learning process
continues when students enter the industry and thereafter on a lifelong basis. As a follow-on 633
to this study further work could be conducted to examine the means and ways of involving
the hospitality and tourism industry more actively in a curriculum re-development exercise
with ongoing updates. This study also highlights the importance of soft skills and the various
ways in which they could and should be developed. Further research could also consider the
relative effectiveness of new hygiene and safety regulations in tourism and hospitality
settings and the ways in which academia has embraced new regulations and standard
operating procedures. New technological advances in the industry could also be investigated
from academia’s perspective, with studies for other fields where there are significant changes.
Finally, this study could form a basis for the formulation of policies for resilience-building by
industry and the various regulatory bodies.

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Further reading
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Corresponding author
Vishesh Anna Joshi can be contacted at: [email protected]

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