SINGAPORE - Singapore's first Swiss hospitality school will be opening its doors to some 60 students come January.

HTMi (Hotel and Tourism Management Institute Switzerland) Singapore will offer Diploma and Higher Diploma courses in International Hotel and Tourism Management, both of which run for six months and offer placements after graduation with hotels around the world.

Following completion of the Higher Diploma, students can transfer to the Swiss campus to complete a dual Bachelors Degree awarded by the University of Ulster in the United Kingdom and HTMi Switzerland.

Swiss ambassador to Singapore Thomas Kupfer officiated at the opening of the school at its campus on the third floor of 51 Cuppage Road on Tuesday. The space features classrooms and training rooms that include mock ups of a cafe, hotel room and front desk.

Said HTMi Global Academic Director Charles Hains: "Singapore is a hub for tourism, and there is a demand for more hospitality students to come into the industry through a management track. So we steer away from the vocational and look at professional and management skills.

"We're looking forward to welcoming Singaporean students to our school."