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Skilled manpower for hospitality hits focus

Star Business Report
Both the government and local tourism entrepreneurs need to focus more on developing manpower for the hospitality industry, as the number of luxury hotels is increasing fast to cater to growing domestic tourism.
Against the backdrop of continued growth in the local hospitality sector, analysts at a discussion asked the government to formulate a policy to ensure private sector investment in the right direction.
“Eleven leading international hotel chains are expected to enter Bangladesh by 2016, adding 1,700 more rooms in Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. Skilled manpower will be of utmost importance then,” said Raquib Siddiqi, chief editor of The Bangladesh Monitor, a fortnightly travel journal.
“So we should take preparation beforehand to utilise the upcoming growth, and the government and local entrepreneurs should find ways to train manpower to serve tourists form home and abroad,” he added.
Siddiqi was presenting a keynote at a discussion on hospitality industry coorganised by The Bangladesh Monitor and Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel on the latter1 s premises in Dhaka.
The upcoming international hotels are Hilton, Hotel Sheraton, two Le Meridien hotels — one on Airport Road and other in Banani, two Westin hotels — one more in Dhaka, and one in Chittagong, Six Seasons, Platinum Suites 2, Heritage Hotel, Doreen Suites and Hotels, FARS Hotel, ASCOT, Marriot Court Yard, said
Siddiqi.
“Now the government does not need to invest in building hotels, but it now has a great responsibility as a facilitator and regulator in guiding the sector.”
"Because, failure thus far, has resulted in undesirable and unplanned growth of the industry. This unplanned growth is
likely to create various problems --including ecological and commercial — in near future," he said.
Mohammad Noor Ali, managing director of Westin Dhaka, urged the government to take necessary measures to reduce bureaucratic hassles that are one of the biggest setbacks for the industry.
He also urged the government to take steps to attract more tourists from across the world and take bigger plans to entertain them with local culture and heritages.
Faruk Khan, civil aviation and tourism minister, said the government has been working hard to develop manpower for the hospitality industry, and it has taken steps to set up training institutes under Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation in all divisional towns.
Also, the government has provided on-arrival visa facility for 40 countries to help foreign tourists enter the country easily, he said.
Kazi Wahidul Alam, editor ofThe Bangladesh Monitor, moderated the discussion, while EJ MacEwan III, general manager of Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Azeem Shah, general manager ofWestin Dhaka, also spoke.
Abdul Hakim, managing director of Hotel Agrabad Chittagong, MN Karim, chairman and managing director of Ocean Paradise Ltd, and Aktaruzzaman