Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav has stressed the need for professionally trained young people to strengthen the State’s hospitality and tourism sector, while urging students to explore entrepreneurship and create employment opportunities.

Addressing students and faculty during his visit to the State Institute of Hotel Management (SIHM), Dimapur, on Tuesday, the Governor said Nagaland has a natural advantage in tourism with its landscapes, biodiversity, traditions, cuisine, music, festivals and diverse cultural heritage. However, he said attractions alone cannot make a successful tourism destination, as visitors also remember the quality of service, cleanliness, food and the warmth with which they are received. 

Yadav encouraged students to look beyond government employment and consider careers as chefs, hotel managers, bakers, entrepreneurs, event professionals and tourism specialists. He said trained youth could become job creators by establishing restaurants, cafés, homestays, catering enterprises and tourism ventures in their communities. 

He also highlighted the importance of integrating Nagaland’s cultural identity into modern hospitality. According to him, Naga cuisine, indigenous ingredients, traditional crafts, music and community traditions could form the basis for distinctive experiential tourism. He urged the Institute to strengthen links with hotels, resorts, tourism organisations and other institutions to provide students with internships, industry exposure, professional certifications and placement opportunities.  

The Governor also encouraged the six students whose education has been sponsored by the Lok Bhavan, Kohima, to make full use of the opportunity and become capable and responsible members of society. 

Earlier, SIHM Dimapur CEO Ashok Sethi said the institute was established through a public-private partnership involving Saksham Education Foundation, the Department of Tourism, Government of Nagaland, and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. He said the institute was developed from an 11-acre abandoned COVID centre and became operational in February 2023.

Sethi said SIHM’s student strength has grown from 31 in 2023-24 to 160 in 2026-27. He also highlighted the institute’s Hunar Se Rozgar Tak programme, under which around 457 youth, including school dropouts, received training, with over 85% of deserving students securing placements.

The CEO said SIHM is also reaching out to more than 90 schools across Nagaland to promote job-oriented hospitality education. He further highlighted the institute’s focus on local employment, stating that over 70% of its 43-member team comprises Naga employees, while around 30% of its Naga employees are women. He added that over 36% of the institute’s students are Naga girls.

Sethi appealed for greater support, including scholarships, to expand opportunities for youth, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds