A two-day national seminar on "Tourism and Hospitality Industry: Omissions, innovations and challenges" commenced at Panjab University (PU) on Saturday. 

Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union minister for parliamentary affairs and water resources minister inaugurated the seminar, which is being organized by PU's University Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism (UIHMT) department. 

Pointing out the fact that India's share in international tourist arrivals was only 0.6%, Bansal said there was immense untapped potential and scope for growth in this sector. 

He added that since the country needed to work hard on increasing its share in this sector, availability of trained personnel was an important factor. "One of the primary objectives of the seminar is to provide a platform for creating an environment conducive to the growth of tourism and hospitality industry in India, particularly in the region. We are discussing the current scenario of tourism and industry, driven by the fast-paced advances in the information and technology field," said one of the organizers. 

On Sunday, there will be six technical sessions, namely contemporary practices, human resource development, issues in sustainable development, tourism destinations, destination Punjab and looking for future and marketing & branding of industry. 

Erik Cohen, professor emeritus, Hebrew University of Israel, delivered the keynote address.