(STUDENTS OF 19 TOP SCHOOLS OF KOLKATA HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE TOURISM EDUCATION EXPO 2026 AT IHM TARATALA KOLKATA AN AWARENESS PROGRAMME AND SKILLS REQUIRED IN THE FIELD OF HOSPITALITY EDUCATION )
BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA | 17 MARCH 2026
The Tourism Education Expo held at the Institute of Hotel Management, Taratala Kolkata, was a joint effort between India Tourism Kolkata and IHM Taratala Kolkata. It was a well-organized and engaging event aimed at introducing students to the diverse opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry.
The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from 160+ attendees, including students from around 19 schools across Kolkata, along with faculty members and distinguished guests from the industry. The schools in attendance included 1. St. Florence School, 2. Flower 2 School, 3. Vivekananda Mission School, 4. Beltala Girls High School, 5. Kendriya Vidyalaya Command Hospital School, 6. PM Shri Kendriya Vidyalaya Ballygunge, 7. Sri Sri Academy, 8. Shri Shikshayatan School, 9. Nava Nalanda School, 10. Amrita Vidyalayam, 11. Apeejay Park Street, 12. New Light School, 13. Barisha High School, 14. Patha Bhavan, 15. M P Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, 16. Sri Sri Sarada Ashram Balika Vidyalaya, 17. GD Birla Centre for Education, 18. Marias Day School, 19. National Gems Higher Secondary School.
The event commenced at 9:30 AM with the arrival and registration of students at the Annex Ground Floor, located outside the lobby.
Following the registration, the program began with the opening address by the IHM Kolkata Principal, Mr. Raja Sadhukhan, who interacted with the students and spoke about their future aspirations. He introduced them to the hospitality industry and elaborated on the wide scope of career opportunities in hotels, cruise lines, and airlines. He has spoken about a large heart and a correct attitude and has stressed the need of enhancing human skills. He has also spoken about the famous past alumni of the IHM located all over the world occupying the top posts of MNC and Indian hotel and restaurant chains and celebrity chefs.
This was followed by the speech of Shri Pranav Prakash, Deputy Director General & Regional Director (East), India Tourism, Kolkata, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, who shared valuable insights into tourism development and career prospects in the sector.
“ In our times we did not have the opportunity to get information about the hospitality industry during our student life, which was a long time ago, now you are getting proper access to absolute valid information and interacting with the experts of the hospitality industry. It’s a wonderful opportunity and you can discuss with your friends and parents and classmates about the prospects of the industry and there are many. The skills in the hospitality industry you need an human interface while in the engineering sector Artificial Intelligence has already become a serious challenge. All things in the hospitality industry require human interaction and it is going to create great opportunities and will get an opportunity to work out of your continent and your country. It will give you a rich experience of life. This institute gives you all valid professional courses and gives you immense employment opportunities, This is the first tourism expo and we hope to have it every year,” addressed Mr. Pranav Prakash, DDG and RD of India Tourism to the students .
Dr. Santanu Dasgupta, Principal of State Institute of Hotel Management Durgapur said that the hospitality industry helps students to move around in the world to earn money and not to spend money. “ If you can ‘Smile’ and if you ‘do service before self’, then I can assure you will be a successful hospitality student. If you fly you will find us, if you are in water you will find us, we are always in the land – air hostesses, flight stewards, cruise liners, hotels and resorts we are there everywhere. Anywhere you go in the world you will find professionals of this industry serving and there is no dearth of jobs and plenty of opportunities and from this institute each student bags three to four jobs before passing out. 200 percent placement is a very common phenomenon in any good hospitality institute. IHM Kolkata is a pioneer of the industry. You can join the sector and make your career a successful one,” he added.
Mr. Sekhar Mukherjee, GM of TAJSATS said that 42 years ago when was a student of IHM Kolkata coming from a very humble background of Bagbazar in Kolkata, he never thought that one day he would rise to become the GM of TAGSTATS. “ If you can manage people today or tomorrow as we do in our home. We used to say Matri Deva Bhava and Pitra Deva Bhava and most importantly Acharya Deva Bhava, and finally Atithi Deva Bhava. By each and every walk in our life we try to inculcate that. You also should know about the adaptability quotient (AQ) at different levels. In the era of AI where technology takes over everything there is one thing that technology cannot take back that is human interaction. This particular course actually teaches you how to survive. There is a huge domain of people in this industry working in different sectors and running restaurants chains, bars, airline and ship catering and have become celebrity chefs also. The main thing that it is taught is on how difficult conditions you can interact,” said Mr. Sekhar Mukherjee.
Subsequently, faculty members of IHM Taratala Kolkata, Ms. Parijat Mukherjee and Ms. Deepshikha Dolui addressed the students and explained about Hospitality Education at Institute of Hotel Managements (IHMs) under the aegis of NCHMCT Noida and Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. A detailed presentation was showcased highlighting various aspects of IHMs across India with special focus on IHM Taratala Kolkata. With further elaboration on the future career scope in the hospitality industry. They also provided information regarding the Joint Entrance Examination – NCHMCT JEE 2026 being conducted by NCHMCT in collaboration with the National Testing Agency (NTA) scheduled on 25th April 2026.
After the academic session, a tea break with refreshments was provided, creating a pleasant and hospitable atmosphere for all attendees.
The program then continued with the presence of distinguished guest speakers, including:
– Mr. Shekhar Mukherjee, General Manager, TajSATS
– Mr. Meghdeep Chatterjee (Social Affiliate), Concierge Association of India (CAI)
– Mr. Arnab Banerjee (Concierge, JW Marriott Kolkata)
– Mr. Sanjib Ghosh (Concierge, Taj Bengal Kolkata)
– Mr. Amitava Sarkar, Ex-Manager, Concierge and Airports, Oberoi Grand Kolkata
Each speaker shared their professional experiences, industry insights, and guidance, inspiring students to consider careers in hospitality and tourism.
Following the guest sessions, an engaging quiz competition was conducted towards the concluding part of the event. Students actively participated, and the winners were awarded gifts as a token of appreciation.
In addition to the sessions, stalls were set up by different organizations including hotels and catering Industries, namely:
– OCM Books
– Asparagus Catering
– IHM Taratala Kolkata
– SIHM Durgapur
– Wormwood Hotels
These stalls provided students with practical exposure and additional information related to the industry.
The event concluded with a campus show round, allowing students to explore the facilities and learning environment of the institute.
Overall, the Tourism Education Expo was a highly successful and informative event that provided valuable exposure, learning, and inspiration to aspiring students. It effectively created awareness about the hospitality industry and guided students towards promising career opportunities in tourism and hospitality.
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