“Permissible direct recruitment quota”, read the advertisements rolled out by several colleges associated with the National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology (NCHMCT) as seats go vacant due to poor student turnout. A poor intake from JEE has left IHMs across India to fill the vacant seats directly. “I heard that even the best of private hotel management institutes are struggling this year for students,” said the principal of a leading central IHM in New Delhi. Parents are hesitant to send their children to colleges far from home. With students happily pursuing courses near their homes, admission in tier-I and tier-II cities has taken a hit.

In 2021, just over 12,000 students wrote the Hotel Management JEE. Earlier, the figure would go up to as many as 25,000 to 30,000 students taking the test. Sources stated that only around 6,000 students showed up for counselling in 2021. Most IHMs are struggling to get students. A Central IHM principal said institutes in Shillong, Hajipur, Gurdaspur, Gwalior, and other cities. have a large number of seats vacant. Many of the private IHMs have just 4 to 6 students in the new session, he added.

This comes even as the demand for hotels in H2 2021 was 80% of H2 2019 levels, suggesting a rebound. Growth was substantially better in areas like Udaipur, Amritsar, Himachal, and Uttarakhand. All-India occupancy increased to 44%, with the same being around 51% in H2 2021, reports said. Moreover, Lux-UpperUp Average Daily Rate (ADR) for Udaipur and Himachal surged to INR17k. For Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Goa the ADR was between INR11,600 and INR12,500. On the contrary, Lux-UpperUp ADR at most metros and emerging metros failed to cross the INR6,000 figure.

The COVID pandemic has hurt the hospitality industry hard, an experienced academician from a Central IHM said. He added that many self-financing and private institutes may pull their shutters down soon. While many who graduated in the last couple of years haven’t got jobs, several experienced individuals have lost theirs due to the pandemic, he stated. Many State IHMs and Private IHMs have indirectly taken a jibe at the Central IHMs. They believe the entire process of counselling is designed to benefit their Central counterparts. “They make sure that the Central IHMs do not suffer any financial crunch,” said a State IHM Principal. “When the shortfall of students in central IHMs is 10 to 15% maximum, in State and private IHMs it is 90 to 95%,” he said, suggesting a “set agenda”.

Statistics from around the world suggest the hospitality industry is rebounding. However, the seats at various IHMs continue to remain vacant in India. The reasons behind the poor student turnout are many, with the cutthroat competition due to job losses, parents failing to afford the tuition fee, and students choosing to pursue studies in their hometowns being the top factors. With that said, the companies are finally coming back to the campuses to hire new talent, reflecting the recovering nature of the industry. Regardless, the huge population, which, in turn, makes for a big workforce in the sector, does give rise to stiff competition to bag a job in the industry, especially for the newer generation.

As we mentioned earlier, Rajasthan, one of the top tourist attractions of India, continues to witness a rise in tourism as COVID clears slowly and steadily. Hence, the future looks bright enough for aspiring candidates to pursue Hotel Management and kickstart a career in the hospitality sector. Ranked 30th out of 50 colleges for Hotel Management by The Week 2019, the Jodhpur Institute of Hotel Management (JIHM) offers a UG and a Diploma program in Hotel Management. The 2nd best institute in Rajasthan has successfully placed over 75% of its students over the years. With recruiters like Radisson, Trident, ITC Hotels, Hilton, and The Gateway Hotel, among others, visiting the JIHM to hire talent, your decision to pursue a degree or diploma in Hotel Management will only land on the right track.