A three-year strategic partnership signed at the 31st CII Partnership Summit will connect hospitality education with Andhra Pradesh's culinary traditions, tourism priorities and sustainable destination development.
KOLKATA, India, Nov. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- What makes a destination memorable? It is often more than its landscapes or monuments. It is the food, the flavours, the traditions and the warmth of the people who welcome visitors. Recognising the importance of these experiences to tourism, the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), part of the Indismart Group, has entered into a three-year Strategic Partnership Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, through the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority.
The agreement was signed on 26 October 2026 in Tirupati during the 31st CII Partnership Summit 2026. It establishes a framework for collaboration across four key areas: hospitality education and skills development, promotion of Andhra Pradesh's culinary heritage, destination development and sustainable tourism, and stronger industry–academia linkages.
A central focus of the partnership is to bring professional hospitality training closer to the needs of the industry. Proposed programmes will cover food production, culinary arts, bakery and patisserie, food and beverage service, front office, housekeeping, hotel operations and tourism operations. Specialised training will also address food safety, hygiene, kitchen management, menu planning, costing, sustainable food production and waste minimisation.
The collaboration will combine practical training, workshops and certification-oriented programmes with opportunities for industry exposure. Internships, educational visits, culinary competitions, placement linkages and entrepreneurship opportunities may also be explored, subject to mutually agreed arrangements between the parties.
An important dimension of the MoU is the promotion of Andhra Pradesh's distinctive culinary heritage. Through chef masterclasses, culinary demonstrations, regional cuisine workshops and train-the-trainer programmes, the collaboration will seek to bring greater attention to indigenous ingredients, traditional cooking practices and regional food cultures. Culinary tourism will be another area of focus, recognising food as an important expression of a destination's identity.
The partnership will also explore sustainable hospitality practices, responsible tourism, local sourcing and farm-to-fork concepts, alongside the application of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), in hospitality education and tourism operations. IIHM will contribute its faculty, chefs and industry experts, along with its experience in technology-enabled learning, sustainability and food-waste reduction.
The agreement provides for collaboration across Andhra Pradesh, with priority destinations to be identified jointly by IIHM and the state government. A joint coordination committee, comprising designated nodal officers, will oversee implementation through quarterly or mutually agreed review meetings and an annual assessment of activities and outcomes. The first three months will focus on developing a joint action plan, followed by pilot training programmes, workshops and stakeholder mapping during months three to six. Expansion across identified destinations is envisaged between months six and twelve.
Speaking on the partnership, Dr Suborno Bose, Founder & Chairman of the Indismart Group and IIHM Worldwide said:
"Hospitality education must be connected to the places and communities it serves. Andhra Pradesh has a remarkable culinary identity, with traditions, ingredients and food practices that deserve to be preserved and shared with the world. Through this partnership, we want to bring education, professional skills and industry knowledge together, while recognising that the true strength of tourism lies in its people, its culture and the experiences it creates. Preparing the next generation of hospitality professionals must go hand in hand with preserving the heritage that makes every destination unique."
The signing was attended by Sri Shamsher Singh Rawat, IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Sri Sagili Shan Mohan, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board; Sri Chiranjeev Choudhary, IFS, Senior Indian Forest Service Officer; and Sri Ravindra Sannareddy, Founder & Managing Director, Sri City Pvt Limited.
The MoU is initially valid for three years from the date of signing. Each party will bear the costs of the activities it undertakes under the agreement.
For IIHM, the partnership is an opportunity to bring its hospitality education expertise into closer engagement with the culinary traditions and tourism priorities of Andhra Pradesh. It also recognises an important principle: the future of hospitality depends not only on how well professionals are trained, but also on how deeply they understand the culture, communities and heritage of the destinations they represent.
Website: www.iihm.ac.in
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