Tourism and hospitality are the highest employment generators, contribute significantly to the country’s GDP, but they also demand quality manpower.

With this in mind, IGNOU offers a series of courses at the School of Tourism and Hospitality Services Sectoral Management (SOTHSSM). It launched a modest certificate programme in July 1994, and followed it up with a series of courses: Diploma (in 1995), Bachelor’s (in 1995), Masters (in 2000) and the PhD programme in 2004.

 Among the objectives of the school are:

• To produce high quality research, emphasising both societal and industry needs.
• To develop and offer post-graduate, bachelor’s degree, diploma and certificate programmes independently and in collaboration with national and international institutions/ organisations/ industry.
• To offer capacity-building training programmes, on-the-job training programmes, entrepreneurial development programmes and management development programmes for various levels, independently and in collaboration with national and international institutions/ organisations/ industry.

Today, IGNOU has almost 12,000 students enrolled in the tourism programmes, and 12,000 (approx) students in the hospitality programmes. All these programmes were developed in consultation with experts from the tourism industry, industry associations and academicians. All faculty members of the School are members of the Indian Tourism Congress. IGNOU is also an institutional-allied member of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.