Decades ago, Khem Lakai was working in a hotel in Bahrain when he encountered many young Nepali migrant workers. Unlike his job, many were working back-breaking, low-paying unskilled jobs.
The pay was low, and many had paid recruiters hefty sums for which they had to borrow from loan sharks, which they then had to repay with savings. Only after that could they start sending money to families back home.
“When I was in Bahrain, I saw many young Nepalis doing odd jobs for low pay,” recalls Lakai. “I thought that if they only had marketable skills, they would not have such a difficult life and could earn more.”
Lakai had studied hospitality in Switzerland and accumulated considerable skill and experience in many countries by this time.
After witnessing the struggle of his compatriots, the idealistic Lakai made up his mind to return to Nepal and put his experience and contacts in the service of his country.
His goal was simple: provide Nepalis structured hospitality education and training to produce skilled human resources that could contribute to the country’s economy and compete in the global tourism market.
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Nepalis have an advantage, Lakai says, because guests are traditionally treated with warmth and respect. “Hospitality is more than a service industry here,” he says. “It is part of our culture, a lived experience that can be turned into a pathway to employment.”
The Nepali ethos “अतिथिदेवो भवः” in which guest is god became the foundation for the Global Academy of Tourism and Hospitality Education (GATE) that Lakai would go on to found in Nepal in 2007.
GATE grew to offer a Bachelor’s in International Hospitality Management (BIHM), a Bachelor’s in Professional Hospitality (BPH), and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) programmes.
The professional hospitality course is affiliated with Kathmandu University, while the other programmes are in partnership with international institutions, including an Australian public university.
Alongside degree programmes, the college also runs vocational courses for students from lower-income families. These shorter, skill-based courses are designed to help learners enter the job market more quickly.
“The vocational courses are for those students seeking jobs abroad who cannot afford to enroll in a full-fledged degree course,” Lakai explains. “These skills will give them a leg up overseas and help them earn better livelihoods.”
Lakai believes Nepal must place greater emphasis on polytechnic and skill-based education that can help young people find employment even when formal academic qualifications alone are not enough.
GATE’s alumni are employed in both domestic and international job markets. Graduates have gone on to work across the tourism and hospitality sector in Japan, Australia, Malaysia, and West Asia.
“Students stand much to gain from going abroad to get insight into the global hospitality sector,” Lakai says. “That kind of industry know-how helps them gain valuable experience.”
In Nepal, the college collaborates with leading hotels like The Soaltee, which has employed graduates across its branches.
But Nepal’s hospitality sector faces significant challenges, largely because trained Nepalis emigrate permanently, leading to a shortage of trained professionals in the domestic market.
But this also means there are openings as Nepal’s internal tourism flourishes. And Lakai has also seen a growing number of Nepalis returning after gaining experience abroad and bringing new skills— just like he did many years ago.
HIGH-VALUE TOURISM
Lakai believes Nepal’s hospitality industry needs better planning, especially as it moves towards high-value tourism. Nepal does not need to look too far, the country sits between the two biggest potential sources of visitors: India and China.
High costs of travelling to and within Nepal compared to other nations is another barrier. In most tourist destinations across the world, notes Lakai, visitors tend to spend a smaller share of their budget on transport and more on adventure and experience.
The opposite is true for Nepal, high ticketing and travel costs can leave visitors with comparatively less amount of money to spend on activities once they arrive.
GATE plans to expand its outreach and train more professionals, the college has a branch in Pokhara and aims to expand to other parts of Nepal. Meanwhile, international hospitality institutions have also approached the college for exchange programs.
Nepal’s tourism sector, and the nation, depends heavily on the impressions visitors carry home. Hospitality professionals remain central to the Nepali tourism experience. Travellers may remember Nepal for its mountains and culture, but they also remember its cuisine, and its friendly people.
Lakai’s advice to young professionals entering the hospitality and service sector: find joy in your work so that you make those you serve also happy.
“You need to enjoy your job,” says Lakai. “If there is enjoyment in what you do, work and life are one and the same, and therein lies the balance between personal and professional life.”