Hotel Mngnt. School Develops Joint Tourism Degree

Hotel Management School Develops Joint Tourism Degree with Indian Trust

New Plymouth, November 5, 2001 -- A NZQA approved Tourism degree course is to be taught in both India and New Zealand after an agreement was signed between the Pacific International Hotel Management School of New Plymouth and an Indian educational trust.

Under the agreement students will complete 18 months of their study in India and 18 months in New Zealand. If they meet and complete all of the course requirements they will be awarded a New Zealand degree.

Bill McCallum, CEO of Pacific International, says the agreement will see 60 students entering the school in New Delhi in early 2002 with 30 of these coming down to New Zealand to complete their degree 18 months later. To ensure the New Zealand and Indian courses are integrated staff from Pacific International will work in India and vice versa.

The agreement converts the New Delhi school into a “feeder” school for Pacific International, and opens up a steady flow of quality students. This could be worth around $500,000 annually to Pacific International and twice this amount to the New Zealand economy when living costs are taken into account.

The New Delhi hotel training school is managed by the Shri Banarsidas Chandiwala Sewa Smarak Trust Society. The prestigious Trust has been running for over 50 years, however the hotel school is a new project.

The school buildings now under construction are “world class”, says Peter Healy, New Zealand's Trade Commissioner to India.

Mr Healy welcomes the new million dollar trade with India, and says he hopes other New Zealand educational institutions will negotiate similar arrangements.

“Some 1500 fee paying Indian students will study in New Zealand in the coming academic year, a 50% increase on the current year. The total Indian student trade is now worth $30 million to New Zealand and could well double in the next two or three years,” he says.

Mr Healy says the services trade between India and New Zealand involving students, tourists and film crews is growing at more than 45% a year and will soon overtake the total value of New Zealand’s traditional commodity trade with India, which has shown slow growth in recent years.

To date, the only other educational agreement between New Zealand and India is between Wanganui Collegiate School and the prestigious Indian schools of Doon, Mayo and Sagar.

Students and staff are exchanged between the schools.

Russell Goldsworthy of Wanganui Collegiate says the exchange programme is resulting in some excellent Indian students choosing to study at Wanganui.

* An electronic photo of Peter Healy, Bill McCallum and Bhuwan Mohan, Secretary of the Shri Banarsidas Chandiwala Sewa Smarak Trust Society, is available from Aimee McClinchy (aimee.mcclinchy@tradenz.govt.nz) on request.

For more information please contact:

Peter Healy, Trade Commissioner, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal & Bangladesh, NZ High Commission New Delhi, Ph 0091 11 688 3170 (Office & after hours), Direct: 0091 11 688 3164 Mob: 0091 98 111 01770, Email peter.healy@tradenz.govt.nz

Bill McCallum / Cyril Henderson, Pacific International, Ph 06 755 0025, Mob: 025 409849.

Russell Goldsworthy, Wanganui Collegiate, Ph 06 349 0295, Mob: 021 511 544

Mark Hargreaves, Regional Account Manager - Manawatu, Wanganui, Taranaki, Trade New Zealand, Ph0 6 350 1808 or Mob: (021) 502 360

Released by Aimee McClinchy, Communications, Trade New Zealand, Ph: 09-915 5628, email aimee.mcclinchy@tradenz.govt.nz

About Trade New Zealand:
Trade New Zealand is the government's trade promotion agency. Its core work is to assist New Zealand businesses to internationalise, through achieving export success, forming strategic alliances or securing international direct investment. Through its global network, Trade New Zealand provides market intelligence that helps exporters reduce the cost and risk of selling goods and services around the world. www.tradenz.govt.nz or 0800 555 888.

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