Travel and Tourism is one of the major activities that flourished significantly over centuries. Tourism, in general, not only opens up the doors to visitors but also the gateways to economic growth and development of that place. Tourists have been moving from one place to another for a wide variety of reasons, from leisure to business. Likewise, there are specific or thematic tourisms, too, that has evolved over time; recreational tourism, eco-tourism, historical tourism, ethnic tourism, cultural tourism, adventure tourism, health or medical tourism, and science tourism to name a few.
Incredible India!
India is bestowed with natural, cultural, architectural, and culinary taste to be savoured by the visitors across the globe. Some of the significant features associated with Tourism in India include economic progress owing to the inflow of overseas tourist aiding to foreign exchange reserves, employment generation, infrastructure up-dation of the tourist places, social progress from cultural exchanges taking place during visits, articulate aesthetics, art, history, craftsmanship, and heritage, in addition to local skills, languages, and the place itself.
Unity in Diversity is the mantra of tourist attraction for India, be it cultures, festivals, monuments, heritage sites and the likes. Myriads of colours spread over clothes or cuisines, folk art or natural expanse, all in all sets the trend for tourism in India.
For those who love India and Indianness can act as an ambassador for Tourism in India. Here is some relevant information for those who wish to make their career in this industry.
The skillset required for tourism industry:
| Confidence | Excellent communication skills |
| Strong interpersonal skills | Pleasant and well-groomed personality |
| Diligence | Flexibility |
| Commitment | Enthusiasm |
| Patience | Good administration and management skills |
| Good research and planning skills | Problem-solving skills |
| Organisation skills | Time management skills |
| Strong networking skills | Teamwork |
| Hardworking | Leadership skills |
The common courses associated with this industry:
| Certificate course in Travel & Tourism | Cruise Line Operations and Management |
| Airfares & Ticketing | Computer Reservation System |
| Bachelor of Tourism Administration | BA (H) Hotel Management, Travel and Tourism |
| BBA (Tourism and Travel Management) | BCom Tourism and Travel Management |
| Executive MBA in Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation Programme | Master of Tourism Administration |
| MBA Tourism and Travel | MBA Tourism and Leisure |
| MBA International Business (Tourism) | MBA Tourism and Cargo Management |
| PG Diploma in Travel and Tourism | MA in Travel and Tourism |
| Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Tourism | PhD in Travel and Tourism |
The profile of a professional from travel and tourism industry:
| Holiday/ Travel Agent | A travel agent evaluates the requirements of tourists and help them make the best possible travel arrangements. Many hotels and travel groups hire travel agents to sell their tour packages to clients. |
| Travel Executive | A travel executive is responsible for managing different aspects of a travel including transportation, flight booking, hotel accommodation, destination information, etc. |
| Tourism Manager | A tourism manager promotes tourism in his/her region through different advertising strategies and campaigns. The manager also offers assistance to tourists of different cultures and traditions. |
| Travel Officer/ Coordinator | A travel coordinator finds best prices on hotels, flights and rental cars; processes employee travel expenses, sets up corporate discounts with travel vendors, creates itineraries, etc. |
| Airlines/ Ground Staff | The ground staff plays a crucial role in areas such as commercial activities, running of airports, airline operations, etc. The job of ground staff is vast and include responsibilities such as inspecting, storing and transporting luggage; and stocking the aircraft with food and beverage items. |
| Tourist Guide | A tourist guide helps tourists visiting different tourist places and provides them information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage of religious and historical sites, museums and other places of interest. |
| Transport Officer | A transport officer is typically appointed by a state government or local transport body to carry out activities like maintenance of the vehicle fleet, overseeing vehicle establishment programmes, certifying ground transportation budget etc. |
| Travel Counsellor/ Consultant | A travel counsellor has the responsibility of providing complete guidance on travel to clients. A counsellor ensures best travel deals for the clients. |
| Tour Operator | A tour operator is a professional who organises tours and manages the travel and stay of tourists. There are many companies which operate tours for domestic as well as international clients and thus require tour operators. |
| Travel Writer | A travel writer is responsible for writing an array of stories related to travel such as historical places, vacations, adventure, hotel industry, culture, etc. |
Some of the institutes offering courses:
One of the key functional areas of Vigyan Setu Foundation is to popularize and promote Scientific Heritage of our country using Science Tourism as a Communication Tool. To realize this objective, two programs have been envisaged; one for empowering Tourist Guides and another one for raising awareness among the school and college students.
Those of you who wish to be a part of the program can express their interest to us on vigyansetu.foundation@gmail.com
Vigyan Setu Foundation 