Tourism, hospitality management school on the cards

Islamabad: The Hashoo Group has unveiled its plans to launch a tourism and hospitality management school in collaboration with the Sheffield Business School of the Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom.

Hashoo Group deputy chairman and CEO Murtaza Hashwani told a ceremony at the Marriott Hotel here on Thursday that the first campus of Hashoo School of Hospitality Management (HSHM) would be established in Banigala area on Islamabad’s outskirts that would begin the first term of a two-year diploma in September this year enrolling 400 students every year.

“After securing that two-year diploma, the qualifying HSHM students will get the opportunity to complete an additional third year at the Sheffield Hallam University graduating with a Sheffield Hallam degree i.e. BSc in International Hospitality Management,” he said.

Murtaza Hashwani said in addition to the merit-based sponsorship funded by Hashoo Group, talks were under way for seeking additional grants in the form of scholarships.

He said the two-year diploma course in Pakistan would have modules including academic and professional skills, business analysis for the service sector, global food, drink and society, hospitality principles and practices, management of food and beverage operations, marketing communications, academic research skills, hotel outlet management, managing food and beverage operations, managing hospitality resources, people and organisations in context and revenue management.

“The school’s launch has been a longstanding ambition of our group. Now, that ambition is shared by the government and the country as a whole,” he said.

The Hashoo Group deputy chairman said the travel and tourism industry was an undisputed key global economic driver.

He said the World Travel and Tourism Council Report of 2018 highlighted that the industry contributes 10.4 per cent of Global GDP and one in 10 jobs (9.9 per cent of global employment).

“In the last decade, one in five of all global net jobs has been in this sector. All indices are only forecast to rise in the next decade, much faster than economies as a whole. We are experiencing this growth right now in Pakistan.

“Combined with the much-improved security situation and other initiatives such as a more welcoming visa regime, our country’s potential growth will, no doubt, eclipse the average as we emerge into the international spotlight,” he said.

Murtaza Hashwani said leading the hospitality industry for around four decades, the Hashoo Group owned and operated the five-star Pearl Continental Hotels and Marriott Hotels as well as the Hotel One brand in Pakistan, while the Pearl Continental Hotels would be launched in Hayatabad, Malam Jabba, Mirpur and Multan as well this year.

He said in addition to considerable investments in infrastructure, the Hashoo Group also realised the significance of investing in human capital development.

“Through the Pearl-Continental brand, we bring decades of brand equity, operational expertise and management experience to this collaboration,” he said.

Sheffield Hallam University Pro-VC Professor Kevin Kerrigan said the vision for the partnership with the Hashoo Group was one of true collaborations between professionals, academic organisations and countries for the greater good.

In charge of the HSHM Azam Jamil said the Hashoo Group worked really hard to translate the hospitality school plans into a reality.

“Convincing them (Sheffield Hallam University) to come to Pakistan wasn’t easy. We remained in contact with them for two years and even I undertook seven to eight trips to the UK to sell them this school idea. At last, our efforts came through and we signed a contract with them,” he said.

Azam Jamil said the group had planned to take the HSHM to Karachi and Lahore as well within two years offering around 2,000 admissions in each city, while the school would also reach out to the residents of Gilgit-Baltistan.

“Ours will be a leadership school producing people for managerial posts in the tourism and hospitality sector,” he said, adding that Sheffield Hallam University’s hospitality courses are ranked top 10 in the world.

Federal education minister Shafqat Mahmood, special assistant to the prime minister Zulfi Bukhari, senior leadership of Sheffield Hallam University, representatives of major educational institutions in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and envoys also attended the ceremony.