culinary maestro sonia Tartar
“Through different technological innovations such as online travel booking sites and, most recently, the sharing economy, the sector is constantly adapting to keep in line with these innovations.” – Sonia Tartar
Vinita Bhatia (VB): What were some of the interesting experiences during your maiden trip to India? Sonia Tartar (ST): The purpose of my maiden visit was to strengthen our relationship with our various stakeholders, industry leaders, prospective students and members of the media. During the weeklong visit, I visited schools and met with media and industry leaders to understand the Indian perspective on the fast growing hospitality industry. I also wanted to promote careers in hospitality management and contribute to the dialogue about the exciting opportunities for employment and professional growth not only in traditional hospitality industry areas, but also in the expanded experience economy industry. VB: Is this interest in encouraging the traditional hospitality industry in India proportional to more students opting for this profession? ST: Les Roches Worldwide has
les roches worldwide
A classroom at Les Roches International School of Hotel Management
36 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2015
welcomed many Indian students over the course of its 60-year history and we are delighted to see enrolments from India developing very strongly over the past years. It is evident that India’s travel and tourism market is rapidly growing and the need for qualified, operational management talent is growing with it. The Indian student delegation is now among the largest on campus and an important contributor to the school’s academic and social life. With our visit to Mumbai and Delhi, we wanted to acknowledge this contribution and try to learn more about the expectations of hospitality education in this diverse and exciting country. Sadly, I did not have time to visit any hotel management institutes in the country. However, I got several invitations and I hope that I will be able to do so in my next trip to India. VB: Why is it that Switzerland has emerged as the groundswell of hospitality management and education courses? ST: Due to its long-standing history as a tourism destination, Switzerland started educating talent for the booming hotel industry at a very early stage. Over time, Swiss institutions have perfected the art of hospitality management education and have become a reference in this specific field. It comes as little surprise then, that today, the three top-ranked hospitality management schools in the world is all located in Switzerland (TNS Global Survey, 2013).