Hyderabad, June 25: Hospitality education is emerging as one of the most promising career pathways for today’s youth, offering opportunities that extend far beyond traditional hotel careers. With rapid growth in hospitality, tourism, food service, aviation, cruise tourism, healthcare hospitality, events, luxury retail, and allied sectors, the demand for professionally qualified hospitality graduates has reached unprecedented levels both in India and internationally.
To create greater awareness among students, parents, educators, and career counsellors regarding the immense opportunities available in the hospitality sector, the colleges affiliated with Osmania University offering Hotel Management and Culinary Arts programmes have come together under the banner of the Telangana Association of Educators in Culinary and Hospitality (TEACH) and organized a landmark conclave titled:
“HOTEL MANAGEMENT AND CULINARY ARTS – GATEWAY TO GLOBAL CAREERS”
The conclave brought together academia, industry leaders, hospitality professionals, and aspiring students to discuss emerging trends, career opportunities, skill requirements, and the future of hospitality education. Prof. Kumar Molugaram, Vice-Chancellor, Osmania University; Chef Amey Marathe, President, Telangana Chefs Association (TCA) and Mr. Raj Bhattacharya, Director of Sales and Marketing, Radisson Blu Hotels; addressed the media.
Hospitality Education at Osmania University
Osmania University, through its Faculty of Technology, has been offering professional degree programmes in hospitality education for more than three decades. The University currently offers: • Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (BHMCT) & • Bachelor of Catering Technology and Culinary Arts (BCTA)
Approximately sixteen affiliated colleges are presently offering these programmes and have consistently produced skilled professionals who are serving in leading hospitality organizations across India and abroad. Graduates from these programmes have secured successful careers in luxury hotels, resorts, restaurants, cruise liners, airlines, hospitals, corporate food services, facility management companies, event management organizations, and entrepreneurial ventures worldwide. Many institutions have recorded excellent placement results, with several colleges achieving near 100 percent placements year after year.
Chief Guest Prof. Kumar Molugaram, Vice-Chancellor, Osmania University; said, appreciate TEACH for bringing academia and industry onto a common platform to deliberate on the future of Hotel Management education. He noted that India currently has only about 823 five-star hotels, with Kerala, despite being one of the smaller states, having the highest number. Telangana, on the other hand, has just 23 five-star hotels despite its tremendous potential. Given the state’s rapid development and growing inflow of global investments, he said this number can easily be doubled in the coming years. He also highlighted the immense potential of Tier-II cities to support premium hospitality infrastructure and urged stakeholders to explore these opportunities. He further observed that Hospitality and Tourism are among the fastest-growing sectors globally, and in the post-Covid era, India has witnessed renewed momentum in the industry. Besides contributing significantly to economic growth, the sector is a major generator of employment. While hospitality is not always a preferred career choice among students, he emphasized that it offers prospects comparable to any other profession. Hotel Management and Culinary Arts, he added, provide diverse, rewarding, and globally relevant career opportunities.
speaking on the importance of hospitality education Prof. Kumar Molugaram emphasized on the fact that Osmania University has continuously upgraded its hospitality curriculum to align with evolving industry needs and global standards. The industry-oriented curriculum integrates emerging technologies, AI, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and international best practices, while emphasizing practical training, internships, industry exposure, communication skills, and leadership development. He noted that the objective is to develop highly skilled, industry-ready professionals capable of contributing anywhere in the world. He also advised students to choose Government-approved and Osmania University-affiliated colleges to benefit from the advanced curriculum and earn a recognised university degree.
Hospitality Industry Experiencing Unprecedented Growth
The hospitality sector is currently among the world’s fastest-growing employment generators. Industry reports indicate a growing shortage of trained manpower due to expansion across tourism, hotels, food service, aviation, cruise tourism, healthcare hospitality, and organized retail sectors. India’s growing economy, increasing domestic tourism, international travel, infrastructure development, and rising disposable incomes have accelerated investments in the industry. Experts estimate that millions of additional skilled professionals will be required globally over the next decade to support this growth.
Guest of Honour Mr. Raj Bhattacharya, Director of Sales and Marketing, Radisson Blu Hotels; said, Hyderabad offers immense growth potential for the hospitality industry, with several reputed international hotel chains actively exploring opportunities in the city. The post-pandemic period has created a significant shortage of skilled manpower, particularly at the mid-management level, as many professionals moved away from the industry. This has resulted in a 25–30% workforce gap, underscoring the urgent need for trained talent. At the same time, the rapid growth of hospitality in Tier-II and Tier-III cities is further driving demand. While the need for qualified professionals is substantial, the current supply remains inadequate. He highlighted that hospitality is among the few industries offering global mobility, rapid career growth, and opportunities across diverse sectors beyond hotels. With leading hospitality brands expanding aggressively in India and abroad, the industry’s outlook remains highly promising. He emphasized that the sector rewards talent, skills, professionalism, and attitude, enabling graduates to build successful national and international careers. Growing investments in hospitality and tourism are expected to drive strong demand, attractive compensation, and excellent global opportunities for professionally trained graduates.
Culinary Industry Becoming a Global Career Destination
The food and beverage sector has evolved into one of the largest and most influential industries worldwide. Changing consumer lifestyles, culinary innovation, international cuisines, food entrepreneurship, culinary tourism, cloud kitchens, specialty restaurants, and luxury dining concepts have transformed the industry into a vibrant global marketplace. The demand for skilled chefs and culinary professionals continues to rise across continents, creating exceptional career opportunities for qualified graduates.
Guest of Honour Chef Amey Marathe President, Telangana Chefs Association (TCA), said, Paris alone attracts around 17 million tourists annually, while India receives only about 10 million international tourists each year, highlighting the enormous untapped potential of our tourism and hospitality sector. Hyderabad and Paris have comparable population sizes, making it evident that the growth prospects for the hospitality industry and hospitality professionals in our city are truly immense.
Chef Amey stated that culinary education today opens doors far beyond traditional kitchen roles, offering diverse career opportunities across the global food and beverage industry. He emphasized that skilled culinary professionals are in high demand worldwide, with excellent prospects for international careers, entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and attractive earning potential. With the industry expanding rapidly, Culinary Arts has emerged as one of the most exciting career choices for young aspirants seeking global opportunities.
Saka Sudha Kumar, President, TEACH; said, TEACH (Telangana Association of Educators in Culinary and Hospitality) is a consortium of Hotel Management colleges affiliated with Osmania University. For over three decades, we have been offering hospitality education while adhering to the stringent norms prescribed for affiliation with Osmania University. Unfortunately, several unrecognised institutions have mushroomed in recent years, often misleading aspiring students. The media has a vital role to play in creating awareness and guiding students towards genuine, recognised institutions. There is tremendous demand for qualified hospitality professionals. According to skill-gap studies, India requires more than 3 million skilled personnel across the organised and unorganised hospitality sectors. The industry needs to produce 3 to 4 lakh professionals annually, whereas currently only 10,000 to 15,000 students graduate each year. This huge demand-supply gap underscores the immense career opportunities and scope available for hospitality students.
Swaminathan Kuppuraj, General Secretary, TEACH; said, Hospitality is one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, making a significant contribution to economic development, employment generation, tourism growth, and global cultural exchange. Today, hospitality extends far beyond hotels, encompassing travel, aviation, events, wellness, cruise tourism, and a host of allied sectors, making it a truly evergreen industry with immense career opportunities. Osmania University offers a robust and industry-oriented curriculum in Culinary Arts and Hotel Management, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and practical exposure required to excel in this dynamic global sector.
Addressing the Awareness Gap
Despite the tremendous growth and opportunities available in hospitality and culinary careers, admissions into quality hospitality programmes in the Telugu States remain below their potential. Industry experts believe that a lack of awareness among students and parents regarding career prospects, international opportunities, entrepreneurship potential, and attractive remuneration continues to be a major challenge. Many students are unaware that hospitality graduates today are working successfully across hotels, airlines, cruise ships, healthcare institutions, multinational corporations, luxury brands, and entrepreneurial ventures around the world. The conclave sought to bridge this awareness gap and provide accurate information regarding hospitality education and career opportunities.