1.     Background

Currently In Ethiopia, there is a large demand call for and a great diversification in higher education, as well as an increased awareness of its importance for socio-cultural, environmental and economic development, for which the upcoming generations will need to be well equipped with new knowledge, attitude and skills. Therefore through considering the broad social-cultural, economical and environmental overview and demand of the country Salale University is highly engaging on commencement of different programs. Therefore tourism and hotel management is among the demanding profession in the national level, so for producing well equipped Professionals with knowledge, attitude and skill in tourism and hotel management, Salale University has established Department of Tourism and Hotel Management under College of Business and Economics in 2021.

The department offer undergraduate Tourism and Hotel Management courses for students under Tourism and Hotel Management. For assuring quality aspects the department allowed practical classes parallel with theoretical aspects, and as practice based nature of profession students will be exhaustive engaged on industrial practices (Internships) and Trips. Beside this the department is under process to commence post graduate program in 2022. Moreover the university is extensively working to be a center of excellence in this segment of profession and to make significant change in tourism and hotel industry. Particularly, the process to be a center of excellence of was commenced through allowing staff participation and active engagement in industry oriented researches, community services, and through hosting Events. Furthermore the university is closely working with different national stakeholders to marginalize the impact as national level.

2.     Program overview

Tourism and Hotel industries are the two sides of a coin. They are perhaps among the oldest commercial endeavors in the world. Hospitality industry contributes immensely to a nation's economic development in many ways, in addition to the immediately apparent prospects of creating jobs and boosting overall income. The industry fosters government revenues from sales taxes and duties and often boosts property-tax receipts. It also brings in foreign exchange and stimulates development of basic infrastructure. Tourist establishments, particularly hotels, buy from domestic sources and can help the development of such national industries as agriculture, food processing and commercial fishing, among others. The development of hotels also attracts other foreign investment and facilitates the transfer of technology, as in the case of computer-based reservation systems (CRS).

Tourism and Hotel Management Program aims at giving students advanced knowledge in contemporary tourism and hotel management to become professional consultants, innovative entrepreneurs, government and public administration officials, tourism business and hotel managers, qualified employees, and academic researchers in the field of tourism and hotel.  Bachelor degree in Tourism and Hotel Management is a fully integrated Four-year program promoted and tailor-made by universities under the College of Business and Economics with the intention of being recognized for its education and research. 

As such, this program combines theoretical education with practical training and industry experience to ensure that graduates fully attuned to the culture, service and competitive aspects of tourism and hospitality industry. Students will receive a thorough education in tourism and hotel management underpinned by integrated core business courses. Practical work experience is of utmost importance in getting prepared for an attractive career in tourism and hospitality management and in order to be successful in a competitive market.

3.     Staff profile