The Union Ministry of Tourism is setting up an Indian Culinary Institute at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh as one of the several initiatives taken to promote support system for the Indian tourism industry.

The National Council for Hotel Management and Catering recently entered into an agreement with Lausanne Hospitality Consultancy (LHC), an arm of Lausanne Hotel School.

Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State of Tourism and Culture, said this at a MCC Chamber of Commerce & Industry event here on Monday. He said the proposed culinary institute, to be set up as not-for-profit Central autonomous society would work for “preservation of heritage Indian Cuisine”.

The institute would research, document, achieve and impart knowledge as also train on the subjects related to traditional dishes of various parts of India. “It will serve as a resource centre in its subject domain, conforming to international benchmarks," the Minister said.

The proposed institute and the NCHMC-LHC agreement would also facilitate skill development of global standards and improve employability of the students.

The Minister said that September saw 9.2 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrival and 18.2 per rise in foreign exchange earnings. This is on top of 7.4 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrival at 46.84 lakh during this year January-August period this year against 4.9 per cent growth in the comparable period last year.

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism between the January and August at $ 12.74 billion showed a 4.6 per cent growth.

The Minister would be present at the inauguration on Tuesday of the three-day Third International Tourist Mart in Shillong, the capital of the North-Eastern State of Meghalaya. The event would witness large participation of foreign tour operations and travel writers. North-Eastern States and West Bengal would showcase their tourism potential at the mart. North-Eastern States had seen a 27.9 per cent growth foreign tourist arrival in 2013.

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