HRTM Associate Professor of Practice, Dipra Jha recently traveled to India to deliver a keynote at an international seminar on food, hospitality and tourism. Organized by the Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management at Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, Haryana, the one-day event on March 12th was attended by scholars, industry leaders and students from institutions across India. It was widely covered by local electronic and print media.
In keeping with the theme of the seminar, Jha was invited to present on experience optimization in luxury services. Using examples and case studies from the United States, Middle East and Asia, he talked about the process of and the rationale for staging unique, memorable experiences for guests and visitors.
"It was an immense pleasure to have Professor Dipra Jha visit our University Institute and deliver an important keynote speech at the international seminar on food, hospitality and tourism,” said Ashish Dahiya, Director, Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management at Maharshi Dayanand University. "Focus of this seminar was luxury services and experiences and Professor Jha's presentation was great learning for our students and scholars. Truly, it was an honor for the Institute community to be able to listen to his ideas.”
Established in 1976, Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) is a comprehensive public university in the state of Haryana in India. The Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management at MDU is a leading center for hospitality education and offers Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral programs.
"As someone interested in studying the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in enhancing guest experience in luxury hotels, I really enjoyed Professor Jha's talk," said Ruchi Chauhan, a research scholar at Maharshi Dayanand University's Institute of Hotel and Tourism Management. "His session gave me certain vision in framing my research problem."
Tourism is Nebraska's third largest earner of revenue from outside the state after agriculture and manufacturing; bringing in excess of $4.9 billion annually and supporting 47,449 jobs. According to the U.S. Travel Association, tax revenues generated by domestic and international travelers in Nebraska in 2016 totaled over $731.5 million. Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management is one of the fastest growing majors at Nebraska and resides jointly in the College of Education and Human Sciences and the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Students have the opportunity to choose among several emphasis areas within the major: club management, event planning, food and beverage, human resources, lodging and tourism.