Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government is considering the setting up of a Tourism and Hospitality University to effectively coordinate various academic institutions functioning under the Tourism department.

An expert committee will be set up to study the prospects of the institution. The Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS) has been entrusted to coordinate the study. The Tourism Additional Director, in charge of the hospitality sector, was appointed as the Special Officer of the panel.

A lot of academic institutions, including KITTS, are functioning under the Tourism Department. This includes the Hospitality Institute in Kannur and the Food Craft Institutes in various districts. The new initiative aims to coordinate the functioning of all these institutions under the varsity. The move will also facilitate the granting of affiliation to courses run by individuals and institutions in the tourism sector.

One option being mulled is to utilize the infrastructural facilities of the Thiruvananthapuram-based KIITS and develop it into a university. The Tourism Department will prepare the project document based on the study report of the expert committee. A final decision will be taken after holding deliberations in various departments and the cabinet. Currently, there is no such dedicated university for tourism and hospitality anywhere in the country.

However, the government will incur a huge expense with regard to developing basic infrastructural facilities, the appointment of employees, and the like. The challenges to setting up the exclusive university are many, especially considering the fact that the state is in very poor state financially.