Tourism Management, Faculty of Arts, Bags Prestigious Erasmus+ Grant from the European Union
The Tourism Management Section, Faculty of Arts, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), has secured a landmark Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) Grant from the European Union. This achievement marks the first Erasmus grant awarded to the Faculty of Arts and represents the largest Erasmus funding received by BHU to date.
The €780,000 grant (approximately ₹8 crore) has been awarded for a three-year duration, from November 2025 to October 2028.
The ERASMUS (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) programme was launched by the European Community in 1987. The programme is named in honour of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, a 15th-century Dutch humanist and scholar who travelled extensively across Europe to study and teach. In 2014, the European Union integrated several education, training, youth, and sports initiatives under a single umbrella programme known as Erasmus+. Erasmus+ supports activities such as higher education mobility, school education, vocational training, adult learning, youth exchanges and youth work, sports cooperation, and capacity-building projects, including CBHE.
The project, titled “SacredTravels4Growth: Higher Education and Sustainable Growth through Religious Tourism,” brings together 16 partner institutions across eight countries—Albania, India, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Moldova, Malta, and South Africa—with BHU and Karnataka University representing India. This international consortium aims to strengthen higher education capacity in religious tourism, cultural heritage preservation, and sustainable regional development by sharing best practices from Europe and partner nations.
The BHU project team is led by Dr. Pravin Rana (Project Lead, Tourism Management), with Dr. Shyju P. J. (Quality Assurance Head), Prof. Jyoti Rohilla (Senior Researcher, Art History), and Dr. Priyanka Singh (Researcher, RGSC Barkachha) as team members. Administrative and financial management of the project will be handled by BHU’s Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy Cell (SRICC).
Dr. Rana highlighted that the project will benefit faculty members, students, and other stakeholders through enhanced learning opportunities, including four international training workshops and study visits scheduled in Albania, Moldova, South Africa, India (BHU), Slovenia, Spain, Malta, and Greece.
These international engagements will expand BHU’s global academic networks and foster collaborative teaching and research experiences. The prestigious Erasmus+ grant further reinforces BHU’s commitment to internationalisation and academic excellence.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi expressed his delight at this significant recognition received by the Faculty of Arts from the European Union. The Registrar, on behalf of BHU, formally signed the project agreement with the European Union. Prof. Sushma Ghildyal, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, highlighted upcoming international projects and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) that promise new perspectives and growth for the Faculty.
