A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Central Michigan University and Kakatiya University (KU) to extend mutual cooperation in academics and research.

Speaking to media persons here today, the KU vice-chancellor Prof. V. Gopal Reddy said the MOU would help increase the quality of syllabi of various courses like MBA, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and Information Technology. The main thing of the MOU, Reddy said is that the Michigan University will impart education to the KU students at a nominal tuition fee.

It would reduce 3/4th of the normal fee burden, for the KU students who wish to study in Michigan University he said.

The city with potential for health tourism has emerged as leader in terms of occupancy in hotels in 2004-05, according to a recent survey. The hotel occupancy ratios in cities like Agra, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Coimbatore, Jaipur and bigger ones like Bangalore trail behind Vishakapatnam, as per the survey report.

Vizag registered a tourist occupancy of 80.6 % followed by Bangalore which records 79.8 %, whereas the all India average occupancy rate stands at 63.6%. In order to cash on tourist boom, a Hyderabad based business house and a multi-national company are negotiating with the local businessmen to set up massive hotels in the city. Because of the increased inclination of the visitors including foreigners to leisure tourism in the recent times, which is the mainstay of tourism sector, Vizag is set to host more of corporate travelers in view of the surge in industrialization.

The foreign tourist arrivals, which stood at 5,138 in the year 2001-02, rose to 18,472 by the year 1004-05.