Health Attack

Food and health go hand in hand.

There is no doubt that the human body is unable to adapt to the drastic change of our life styles. The 20^th century has galloped into the 21^st, with each decade offering us new challenges to our life style be it in transportation or communication. As that Nokia hand free adv showed, the conventional mobile will twist the human spine in the centuries to come. Heart attack has become a much dreaded word in the psyche of the sedentary corporate professional, what with fast food oozing with fats (read cholesterol ) stress (read targets) late lunches etc ,health has become a casualty . We, ostrich like, tend to live in the world of “it cannot happen to me ’’syndrome. Until reality bites ….

I would like to take this opportunity at demystifying cholesterol and the totally impossible tongue twisters that are a part of discussions on the subject. Those nasty LDLs (low-density lipoprotein), the triglycerides (the bad guys) and (the good guys) HDLs (high-density lipoprotein). Demystification apart, at a very practical level, I’m sure that you’re asking yourself, “Fair enough, but what is the bottom line at the end of the day? What should I do to eliminate or reduce total cholesterol and LDL levels; and increasing HDL?”

If you have an abnormal “lipid profile” as it is technically called, your first step is to visit a doctor and decide whether you need medication or not. Once you are in safe medical hands, make sure that you get yourself tested regularly. Next, on the ‘to do’ list are making specific lifestyle changes that will enable you to stop, or at least reduce, your medication levels over the long run. You would be surprised at how much can be achieved by a few important changes in your lifestyle.

So to bite the bullet, this is what you have to do =Start with your diet

With rising affluence and being spoilt for choices with respect to variety of restaurants vying for your mind space the secret is to CONTROL your portions no matter how tasty they are. So what is portion control? To give a simplistic definition it is limiting the quantity of food a person should eat.

A healthy portion of anything is a handful of it. Say, a piece of meat or fish, the size of your palm, is a healthy measure. A cup of rice again needs to be a handful of cooked rice, and so on. Once you control the quantities you are eating, you are well on your way to good health.

What you eat is very important. First on the list is fiber, a seriously good guy who needs to be as widely incorporated in your diet as much as possible. Sources of fiber are raw vegetables, fruit and whole grain cereal that is processed as little as possible. There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. They also prevent hunger pangs; since they fill you up, ensuring that you are not hungry for the unhealthy stuff anymore. Fiber is also the broom of the body, ridding it of toxins. Fiber even binds with fat molecules and removes them from the system.

Next up is fish. Fatty fish, such as salmon, trout and sardines; are a great source of Omega 3 acids. Omega 3 acids are a way wonderful to lower LDL and increase HDL. Grilled fish twice a week is a great idea. If you are vegetarian, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and nuts are also great sources of Omega 3. On the other hand, please remember the handful rule here. These nuts are fairly calorie intensive, and like we already know, calories not used by the body get stored as fat in one of its forms, something that needs to be avoided at all costs!!

Omega 3 fatty acids, and unsaturated fats, such as those found in olive, sunflower or canola oil are good friends. They can actually help you in the struggle to achieve a normal lipid profile. The only caveat is that any form of fat contributes nine calories per gram, and so even a small quantity can increase your total calorie intake very quickly. Spend time to read the food label before you buy a product that has fat, even if it says it is a zero cholesterol product. If the ingredient list has saturated or trans fats, shun it like plague.

Well that’s half the battle won, the other half is exercise. Aerobic activities like running, walking and dancing; as well as strength training, are vital to improve your lipid profile. The exercise will help you burn fat, sleep better and reduce stress. In fact exercise is the key factor for increasing HDL levels. Here we go back to the caution factor. Please get yourself medically cleared for exercise before you start, and take it nice and slow to start with.

In the end, it always comes back to the same things – a healthy diet, daily exercise and seven to eight sleep hours every day. It’s also important to make a conscious effort to control stress. So wish you a healthy living.

The Advantages of E-learning

The Internet is perhaps the most outstanding innovation in the field of communication in the history of mankind. Till a few years ago, the Net was unknown to most people, but today, it is the most powerful tool of communication for people around the world, de facto reducing our earth to a global village.

Although, most people think the e-mail and ‘world wide web’ (www) are the main constituents of the Internet, there is a lot more to it than that, chat rooms, information-based Websites and search engines.

In the field of education the internet has brought about phenomenal changes. With the advent of the net, there is no need for a student to physically go to an educational institute, instead it can be the other way around. People learn in many different ways and at different times. E-learning allows a learner to learn from anywhere at any time through the use of the Internet. In the real world, people have jobs to do and budgets are limited; E-learning allows us to overcome the limitations of time, distance and resources.

Here’s having a look at some of the distinct advantages of E-learning.

Better Time Management

E-Learning can take place anytime, anywhere, making it convenient for learners. It also results in better time management by reduction in training time, referred to as ‘learning compression’. Study materials can be delivered via the Internet, organisation’s Intranet, mobile phone or via CD-ROM. Learners can proceed through a training program at their own pace and on need basis.

Cost Effectiveness

Reduction of travel cost to and fro to the institute, reduction of delivery cost by eliminating regular staff and faculty salary, precise and concise information conveyed in a shorter timeframe and cost reduction by minimising the use of paper are some of the major cost advantages of E-Learning. The method can be availed anytime, anywhere across the globe, thus best suited for employed people as it doesn’t clash with work time. This keeps delivery costs low.

Consistent Quality 

Standardised, quality education is available to every learner. The platform eliminates the problems associated with different instructors and different teaching mode.

Cross-platform Support

E-Learning courses are accessible on any platform (operating systems) – Windows, Mac, UNIX, OS/2, Amiga, etc. Training programs can be delivered to any machine over the Internet or Intranet without having to author a program specifically for each platform.

Increased Retention

Use of videos, audio tapes, quizzes, simulations, Webinars, live tutorials and discussion forums help in better retention. Also E-learning environment helps eliminate visual and social barriers making it easy for individuals to express themselves. Moreover, learners are given sufficient time for responding.

Motivation and Engagement

The platform encourages interaction and collaboration in the learning experience. Different platforms such as chat rooms, discussion forums, simulations, quizzes and instructor-led Webinars make the learning process fun and interesting. Immediate feedback enables the learner to be proactive instilling a sense of responsibility.

Reduction of Carbon Footprint 

By reducing and in some cases eliminating travel time, printed course materials (read-paper misuse) and need for physical space (institute) helps in reduction of carbon emissions.

Career in Hotel Management

Introduction

A cardinal part of hospitality industry, hotel management has wide employment opportunities. Moreover, with globalisation gaining acceptance with more and more countries, the hotel management industry is truly becoming global. As hotel chain owners are opening new hotels in various big and small cities, requirement for trained hotel management professionals is huge. Although considered one of the most glamorous careers, hotel management requires professionals who can keep their cool even in the most challenging situations.

There are multiple job profiles in hotel management and depending upon the candidates' education, work experience, the positions are offered. However, in order to work in top level or middle-level. Candidates can do degree course in hotel management soon after 10+2 which are offered by various hotel management institutes.

Early Start

Students looking for a career in hotel management should have strong communication skills, reasoning skills, numerical aptitude and pleasing personality. Therefore, if some candidate is lacking in these skills, he must inculcate them in him and for that starting early definitely helps. Many students start preparing for entrance exams conducted by IHMs soon after their 10th board. Similarly, those who wish to go for higher studies in hotel management can do Masters in Hotel Management; for MHM the person is required to have BHM.

Job Prospects

Hotel management like any other sector is subject to the state of national economy and global economy. When the economy is doing well jobs come a lot in the sector. Currently there are more than 2.40 million people working in hotel, catering and allied industry in India and the number is going to increase in next couple of years as new hotels are coming up in large numbers in urban and semi-urban areas. Trained hotel management professionals would have privilege over untrained graduates as hotels are not willing invest in training of recruits rather prefer trained ones.

Demand and supply

India not only has mismatch in terms of hotel room supply and demand but in terms of professionals required to manage hotels. Whereas the demand is much higher than the existing 1,14,000 hotel rooms across all categories, India is facing acute shortage of trained hotel staff.

(Compiled from various online sources.)

World Tourism Day Competitions, Gesto @ Vijayawada

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On the event of world tourism day i-e; on 27^th September, A.P Tourism Development Corporation In Association with Vijayawada hotels conducted various competitions for the students.

Many of the students from different colleges have participated. Gesto had a great contribution towards the competitions held and gave a tough fight to the other students. Ultimately it resulted with a great achievement.

ITC targeting to open 150 hotels across its 4 brands

ITC is all set to aggressively expand and has started its investment led growth strategy to become the largest hotel operator in the country. The company is targeting 150 hotels across its four brands in the years to come. While the company at present has around 90 hotels in over 70 destinations across India, as many as 40 hotels are already at various stages of development, according to a top official.

“These hotels are either owned or managed by us under one of the four brands. The intention is to double capacity in the next few years in terms of rooms, across the brands,” said Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC in a report by DNA. Anand further added that the company has an outlay of Rs9,000 crore for the hotels business.

He said the company is committed to competitive growth and deploying its full portfolio across the four segments. “That is what we believe is required to successfully deliver on our ambition and goal to attain competitive growth. All the funding will be done through internal sources,” he said.

In line with its ‘responsible luxury’ ethos, the company recently opened a brand new, 600-room integrated super premium luxury hotel, ITC Grand Chola, in Chennai. Built at an overall cost of Rs1,200 crore, this is the world’s largest LEED Platinum Green Hotel in the new construction category.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating given by India Green Building Council (IGBC) under licence from the US Green Building Council.

This new hotel is an addition to seven existing hotels in Chennai, Ooty and Madurai.

Other additions include a 500-room hotel adjacent to the ITC Sonar in Kolkata and an ITC resort property in Manesar. The development pipeline currently encompasses 3-4 hotels under construction (the premium segment) and another 6-7 hotels on the drawing board.

“In the course of the next few years, we’ll consolidate our position in main metros and Tier II cities with critical inventory across our multiple brand portfolio. While pursuing this, we are constantly evaluating potential opportunities in leisure destinations as well like Goa and Kerala to name a few,” said Anand.

Focusing on niche areas and providing differentiated value propositions, ITC Hotels has been leveraging on the country’s unique advantages in terms of diversity and heritage. The company caters to the emerging needs of travellers through ITC Hotels (luxury), WelcomHotel (five-star), Fortune (mid-market, upscale) and WelcomHeritage (heritage leisure).

Adding another dimension to the Fortune brand, the company has introduced a new product under the My Fortune brand. The new offering is mainly targeted at upscale business travellers. This apart, the company has undertaken a re-branding exercise for hotels under the WelcomHeritage brand with the introduction of Legend Hotels, Heritage Hotels and Nature Resorts.

ITC Hotels has to its credit of being the youngest among Indian chains and is recognised as the fastest growing chain in the country in the very first decade of inception.

“Our business philosophy is to continue to make a meaningful contribution to the overall economic development of the country in multiple ways while enriching the tourism landscape of the country. We believe that business can and must play a role. Therefore we have consciously moved from a single dimension of financial value creation to a triple bottomline philosophy of creating value that encompasses the economic, environmental and social dimension,” said Anand.

Spain to host World Tourism Day 2012 under the theme Tourism and Sustainable Energy

The 2012 official World Tourism Day (WTD) celebrations will be held in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain (27 September 2012). Under the theme “Tourism and Sustainable Energy: Powering Sustainable Development”, WTD 2012 highlights the need to bring the tourism sector and energy stakeholders closer together to spur tourism’s contribution to sustainability.

“Tourism is at the forefront of many of the latest and most innovative sustainable energy initiatives,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “One only has to think of the investments being poured into renewable energy sources for aviation, or the energy technology solutions implemented in hotels around the world, to know that sustainable energy is a major priority for the sector.”

“The message at the heart of World Tourism Day 2012 is that these initiatives and commitments are not only helping to protect the environment, they are also creating economic opportunities and jobs for millions, whether in tourism, energy or other sectors,” he said. 

Official celebrations will take place in the town of Maspalomas in the Canary Islands, Spain, as was announced during the UNWTO Press Conference at the ITB Travel Trade Show with the presence of the Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Borrego.

“Spain is among the top five countries investing in renewable energies worldwide and 20% of the energy consumed in Spain comes from renewable sources,” said Ms. Borrego. “We are convinced that the celebrations of World Tourism Day 2012 will be of great interest given the high caliber of participants, as well as the other events being organized to raise awareness of World Tourism Day among the general public.”

Holding this year’s celebrations in Spain is particularly fitting given its reputation as “one of the world's top tourism destinations and a global leader in renewable energies,” said the Secretary-General. As well as being a major tourism destination, one third of the island of Gran Canaria, including the town of Maspalomas, where the celebrations will take place, is a Biosphere Reserve of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).   

Official WTD celebrations will include a High-Level Think Tank on the 2012 theme, at which public and private tourism stakeholders will join leaders from the energy sector to further the use of sustainable energy in the tourism sector. Confirmed participants include the Spanish Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, José Manuel Soria, and the President of Acciona Energy, Carmen Becerril, of Spanish multinational Acciona.   

WTD 2012 coincides with the UN International Year of Sustainable Energy for All, offering the opportunity to further highlight the shared responsibility of the tourism and energy sectors to the wider sustainability objectives of the UN.

Courtesy : http://media.unwto.org/en/press-release/2012-03-08/spain-host-world-tourism-day-2012-under-theme-tourism-and-sustainable-energ

Travel & tourism sector contributed 6.4% to India’s GDP in 2011

Contribution greater than that of automotive manufacturing sector

The travel and tourism sector contributed 6.4 per cent to India’s GDP, amounting to Rs 6.7 billion, which includes direct, indirect and induced impacts, according to a research by Oxford Economics, released recently at the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) India Initiative Retreat in Bekal, Kerala. In comparison, the automotive manufacturing sector contributed 3.3 per cent, the education sector contributed 4.5 per cent, and the mining industry contributed 3.7 per cent to the GDP. The research showed that the sector’s direct contribution to India’s GDP is Rs two billion, almost three times more than the contribution of automotive manufacturing sector.

Supporting 39 million direct, indirect and induced jobs in India, the travel and tourism sector generates more jobs than the mining industry and communications services. The sector is a significant source of export revenue for India, the research found.

In 2011, India’s total visitor exports stood at Rs 950 billion, which was 12 per cent of all service exports and 3.9 per cent of all exports. The research compared the effect of travel and tourism expenditure on GDP and the wider economy. In India, Rs 55 million (USD one million) in travel and tourism spending generates Rs 72 million (USD 1.3 million) in GDP, which is greater than that generated by agriculture, automotive and chemicals industries; generates Rs ten million (USD 189,000) of gross value added in agriculture; generates Rs six million (USD 109,000) in the wholesale and retail sector; and supports 407 jobs, more than the average number of jobs created by communication services (381 jobs), financial services (329 jobs), manufacturing (315 jobs) and chemicals (231 jobs).

The travel and tourism industry in India is almost three times bigger than the automotive manufacturing industry and generates more jobs than the chemical manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, communications and mining sectors put together, the research revealed.

WTTC’s research at the Global Summit in Tokyo in April this year showed that travel and tourism directly contributed USD two trillion or 2.8 per cent to world GDP, which is more than double the contribution of automotive manufacturing and one-third larger than the contribution of global chemicals industry. The travel and tourism sector generates roughly the same GDP as the global education and communications sectors, and about half that of the global banking and financial services industry.

David Scowsill, President and CEO, WTTC, said, “The numbers in this study demonstrate that the travel and tourism industry plays a leading role by creating jobs, restoring economic growth and helping to eliminate poverty. The Indian government is doing great things in promoting the industry. Their latest agreement to liberate visa regimes between India and Pakistan is to be applauded. We look forward to similar bi-lateral agreements with other countries to ease the visa process.”

Bill Glenn, President, Global Corporate Payments and Business Travel, American Express, said, "With each release of regional data from the latest WTTC research, we continue to see the value that travel can bring to GDP, job creation and other economic factors. We are pleased to sponsor this research and provide the industry with another valuable asset to use to promote the benefits of travel."