Rajouri : Centre for Hospitality and Tourism, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University Rajouri organized a webinar on the Challenge of Cross cultural Diversity Communication within Hospitality and Tourism after new normal. Prof. Akbar Masood, Vice Chancellor of the University lauded the efforts of the organizing team for hosting the webinar. In his message, Prof. Akbar said that Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant challenges to the Hospitality & Tourism industry. He said that the travel industry will not only survive but thrive, however, the process will be challenging. Prof. Akbar advised the participant to constantly up skill themselves and must attain a fine blend of theoretical and practical knowledge that the industry demands in the new normal. Dr. Ann Suwaree Ashton, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Tourism Management, NIDA, Thailand delivered the keynote address. In her address, she said that the pandemic has upended our daily lives and is driving changes to our behaviors. She said that the COVID-19 crisis has brought global travel and tourism to a standstill, devastating airlines, cruise ship operators, hotels, casinos, and tourism-related businesses worldwide. She emphasized that travel industry has to respond and adapt to consumers’ changed behaviors and expectations. She said that from hand sanitizers in hotel lobbies to cabin crew in masks, localized lockdowns to contact tracing apps, Covid-19 has transformed the world of hospitality and Tourism. She mentioned that the pandemic has fundamentally changed the customer experience, and it’s likely to stay this way until the virus fades and Companies have no choice but to reimagine the customer experience. Prof. Iqbal Parwez, Dean School of Management Studies in his message said that the hospitality sector around the world is poised to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. Yet tourism & hospitality organizations will find themselves in a very different business environment and dealing with some important changes in consumer behavior, he said. Students, Scholars and industry professional from within the country and abroad participated in the webinar. Dr. Danish Iqbal Raina delivered the welcome address and highlighted the importance of cross cultural communication in new normal.
