The HHIC has consistently connected its history with the development of the Cypriot hospitality and broader tourism industry. Since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus the Institute’s aim has been to serve the needs of hospitality and broader tourism Industry providing highly trained personnel.
The HHIC constitutes a continuation of the Central Hotel Training School (C.H.T.S.) founded in 1965, and the Hotel and Catering Institute (HCI) that succeeded it, founded in 1969 as a joint project of the Republic of Cyprus, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Labour Office (I.L.O.).
Both institutions, the Central Hotel Training School (C.H.T.S.) and the Hotel and Catering Institute (HCI) functioned side by side until April 1971 when the former merged with the latter.
Since the finalization of the joint project in July 1974, the Institute has been operating as a government Institution, under the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance.
In May 1993, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus approved the upgrading of the Institute to a Tertiary Educational Institution of Hospitality and Catering Education and the renaming of the Institute to Higher Hotel Institute, Cyprus (HHIC).
As from September 2012, the HHIC introduced two upgraded programmes of study, namely Culinary Arts and Hospitality and Tourism Management. The programmes were designed in cooperation with distinguished experts of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in the framework of a joint programme for the redevelopment of the Institute’s programmes of study. On 27th March 2019, the Council of Ministers decided to incorporate the HHIC into the Ministry of Education and Culture as from 1st January 2020.
The programmes are designed to prepare students for immediate employment and development at supervisory and middle management levels, in a variety of hospitality and tourism professions. They provide all-rounded professional education and extensive practical training, which constitutes a guarantee for success in the increasingly competitive working environment. At the same time, they facilitate further studies both in Cyprus and abroad, and foster life-long learning and career development.