To promote Bangladeshi hospitality management and its rich and distinctive culinary arts and culture globally- a day long online symposium titled “Daffodil International Symposium on Hospitality” was held on September 10, 2020. Oxford Cultural Collective and Daffodil International University jointly organized this symposium. World‘s renowned Industry-Academia experts of hospitality management and culinary art and culture from Europe, Australia and Bangladesh delivered their presentation and discussed in different sessions of the symposium.

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmed, MP  was present at the closing ceremony of the Symposium as the chief guest while British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, His Excellency Robert Chatterton-Dickson, Baronas Manzila Pola Uddin, UK Parliament Member (House of Lords), Mr. Ram Chandra Das, Chairman, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, Mr. Donald Sloan, Chair of the Oxford Cultural Collective were present as the special guests. Presided over by Professor Dr. S M Mahabub Ul Haque Majumder, Pro Vice Chancellor of the university, the program was also addressed by Mohammad Nuruzzaman, Chief Executive Officer, Daffodil Family & Convener of the symposium.

Addressing as the chief guest Imran Ahmed, MP said, many expatriates are returning in Bangladesh due to COVID 19 pandemic losing their jobs. Tourists are not coming to Bangladesh at this pandemic situation. So, all together, our economy is going down. But, we can’t be disappointed as the day will come after night. We believe that our tourism and hospitality sector will be turned around. He said there is no doubt that Daffodil Oxford Center of Excellence in Hospitality will make our tourism sector strong and developed providing trained and skilled manpower.

Mr. Imran Ahmed said that hospitality doesn’t means only to work in the restaurant; the definition of hospitality is vast and versatile. If we make our people skilled in tourism and hospitality we can grab huge employment all over the world. There are lots of job already opened in tourism sector around the world. Just we need skilled manpower to grip this opportunities.

Barones Manzila Uddin said, it’s really a pleasurable thing that Bangladesh and UK will work together for developing tourism and hospitality sector. It’s really a great initiative too that hospitality of Bangladesh will spread all over the world through this centre, she added.

She urged the women to come forward in hospitality sector more,bBecause hospitality is a thing that women do their family by naturally. They are much expert in this job. She expressed hope that Centre for hospitality will boost up the hospitality profession.

BPC Chairman Ramchandra Das said, Bangladesh Tourism Corporation was established by Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972. Since its inception  the organization is working on tourism. We have also training course on tourism and hospitality.

He also said that we have lots of attractive tourism spots like largest sea beach Cox’s Bazar,

mangrove forest Sundarbans, lots of rivers, cultural heritage etc. We need trained people to explore these beauties. We hope that centre for hospitality will contribute to produce trained people in tourism and hospitality sector. Tourism Corporation is always behind to Daffodil.

Earlier, while inaugurating the symposium Senior Adviser to Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Gowher Rizvi said, such type of hospitality center establishment was very much needed for the development of the tourism and hospitality sectors in Bangladesh  too earlier. Students will get international standard quality education through this centre as well as they will play a vital role to eradicate unemployment. He thanked Daffodil International University and Oxford to take such a great and time befitting initiative.

Dr. Gaohar Rizvi wished the DISH 2020 symposium will create awareness on tourism, hospitality and culinary arts. He stressed on the importance of arranging this kind of symposium frequently for development of tourism and hospitality sector of Bangladesh.

Dr. Md. Sabur Khan said, COVID 19 has brought massive change in tourism and hospitality sector worldwide. To keep pace with the changes, we will have to bring change and modification in our course curriculum. We will have to reform our total education system. Daffodil International University is working in line with and already bringing required changes and modification in course curriculum accordingly. Launching of Daffodil Oxford Centre of Excellence in Hospitality(DOCEH) and organizing this symposium are the part of these initiatives. Daffodil International University introduces international standard restaurant and hotels, he added.

Dr. Md. Sabur Khan also said that we will have to ensure job placement of our students rather not only giving them education. If we can build up them skillfully for job sector they would get job easily. So this centre for hospitality will help to make our student skilled and trained, he hoped.

Plans for the launch of DOCEH represent a significant step for Daffodil International University. The ambition is to create an educational institute that will gain an international reputation for the quality and impact of its educational provision.  DOCEH will make a distinctive contribution that is fit-for-purpose in a rapidly changing and unpredictable world. Since its inception, DOCEH has had strong links with the UK.  The steering group of DOCEH is led by Mr. Donald Sloan, Chair of the Oxford Cultural Collective and former Head of the Oxford School of Hospitality Management at Oxford Brookes University.