Hotel Managers Perspective of Managerial Competency among Graduating Students of Hotel Management Programme

The tourism potential of India, especially in a global context, remains far from being realized. Towards realization of this potential, the Ministry of Tourism envisages a target of 12% growth rate in inbound as well as domestic tourists for the 12th Five Year Plan period. Therefore, in response to the needs of the industry, training providers have established a number of hotel, leisure, travel and tourism degrees. But past references have identified that hotel courses lack the rigor to provide quality manpower. Hotel management students seem to rate the value of their degrees higher than do employees in the. As such there always seem to be a bridge between what the hotel management students and the assumption of the hotel Industry. The Indian hotel Industry is likely to witness only a marginal revenue growth of about 7% in 2012-13 with uncertain economy impacting demand, according to a study by rating agency ICRA. Visibility on the immediate term growth remains clouded with an uncertain economy impacting demand even as lumpy supply additions occur. ICRA revises downwards the revenue growth estimates to 5-7%, with a seasonally stronger second-half partly compensating for the low operating margins in the first half. The hotel Industry hit new lows during the second quarter of 2012-13 with falling revenue per available room (RevPARs) and escalating power costs eroding the operating margins, which coupled with increase in fixed costs (interest and depreciation) resulted in many players posting net losses. World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) projects a moderate 2-4% growth in international tourist volumes this year in view of the continued global uncertainties in Europe. In the present economic scenario, this study will benchmark effective teaching techniques to empower students to be managers in the Hotel Industry on successful graduation in a very competitive but stifled recruitment policy. This study will identify: (1) industry perception; (2) managerial employment competency components; and (3) managerial employability opportunities.