IIHM Students Celebrate The ‘Bounce Back’ Of Tourism, Hospitality Industry On World Tourism Day With Cuisines, Performances

Tourism, in 2021, has a whole new meaning as the world gradually opens up after the pandemic. It aims to bring into its fold all those who are directly and indirectly benefitted from this industry. That is why the theme for World Tourism Day 2021 is ‘Tourism for Inclusive Growth”.

The International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) in collaboration with India Tourism Karnataka, Ministry of Tourism, SKAL and Young SKAL Bangalore Chapter, celebrated World Tourism Day on 25th Sept 2021 highlighting this year’s theme of “Tourism for inclusive Growth”.  The program was inaugurated by Mr Mohamed Farouk, Director, India Tourism Karnataka, Ministry of Tourism and Mr Anurag Gupta, Director, SKAL International Bangalore.

The celebration was in response to the UNWTO’s call to the world to celebrate tourism, an industry that has the power to ensure that nobody is left behind as the world opens up again after the pandemic. The theme matches with IIHM’s belief of “bounce back” and the institute is gearing up to celebrate the occasion.

A cultural programme was organised by the students of IIHM based on cultural diversity that explores the opportunities of promoting tourism. Complementing the cultural backdrop, the decor team displayed an array of indigenous handicrafts from some important tourist destinations in India. They showcased items like spears and shields from Nagaland, hats or topics from Himachal Pradesh, the popular wind chimes, catchers and bells from Tibet, bamboo bags and dolls from Manipur, Channapatna toys and dolls from Karnataka, masks from Coorg and many other interesting items.

The Culinary team at IIHM Bangalore took guests to the roots of Manipur and Tibetan cuisine through indigenous and traditional food of the two regions. Singju, a typical Manipuri salad that has its origin in the Meitei/meetei community of Manipur was on the menu along with the ubiquitous momo, a steamed dish that originates from the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. It was later introduced in Tibet when a Nepali princess married a Tibetan king in the 15th century.

Another specialty item on the menu was the ChakhaoAmubiwhich is a type of sticky black rice that is indigenous to Manipur. ‘Chakho’ means delicious and ‘Amubi’ means black. In Manipur it is generally served on special occasions and festive events. The rice is cooked to make porridge, kheer, Chinese black cake and many other dishes.

The beverage team created some cooling mocktails to showcase the culture of Karnataka and Tibet respectively. The first is called the ‘Kasha yaya’ that is inspired by Kashaya, an Ayurvedic drink that is used to cure fever and flu. The second beverage called The Dragon Breath, it is made with dragon fruit, a neutral flavoured and coloured fruit mixed with sour passion fruit, refreshing cucumber and a touch of sugary sweetness.

The World Tourism Day is a celebration of “bounce back to tourism and hospitality Management” for the Students of IIHM who are back in college and are curating the event under the leadership of Sanchari Chowdhury, Director, Bangalore campus and her team.

Dr Suborno Bose, Chairman and Chief Mentor of IIHM said, “It feels wonderful to see the students of IIHM Bangalore back on campus. The World Tourism Day celebrations are an expression of how IIHM is inspiring and encouraging the hospitality sector to bounce back after almost two years of slow movement because of the pandemic. Things are reviving and we believe that this liaison between hospitality and tourism is going to work wonders for both industries across the world.”