Travel and tourism industry is one of the leading foreign exchange earners in the Indian economy. It offers employment to millions of people around the world either directly or through many associated service industries.

Course Details and Eligibility Criteria

The travel and tourism industry offers certification, diploma, graduate level, advance diploma, and postgraduate level courses for the candidates. Names of some of these courses are Airline Passenger Services, Advance Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management, B.Sc in Airline Ticketing and Hospitality Management, BA in Travel and Tourism, Bachelor in Tourism, Bachelor in Air Ticketing and Management Administration, Masters in Tourism Administration (MTA), Bachelor of Hotel and Tourism Management, Post Graduate Diploma in Tourism (PGDT), Diploma in Accommodation Operation, Certificate Course in Guide Training, Diploma in Destination Management, Post Graduate Diploma in Tourism Management (PGDTM) etc. For getting admission in any of the undergraduate courses, the aspirant must have passed 12th examination.

The qualification required in pursuing any postgraduate degree in travel and tourism is a bachelor degree in any discipline. The Directorate and Department of Tour conducts entrance test, group discussion, and personal interview for admissions into these courses. Proficiency in any foreign language is an added advantage to the candidate. The duration of the travel and tourism courses vary from one to two years. The industry offers several short-term certificate courses for which the duration is less than a year. These courses require only a minimum qualification of 12th pass.

Institutes that offer Travel and Tourism courses

There are many institutes, colleges, and universities in India that offer different courses in Travel and Tourism. Some of them are listed below.

• Kurukshetra University, Haryana
• Bangalore University, Bangalore
• University of Mumbai
• Agra University, Agra
• Himachal University, Shimla
• Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management
• Goa University, Goa
• Andhra University School of Correspondence Education, Visakhapatnam
• YWCA of Delhi Women’s Training Institute
• Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar
• National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Hyderabad
• Dravidian University, Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh
• Tezpur University, Assam
• University of Delhi, New Delhi
• SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai
• Pondicherry University
• School of Vocational Studies
• Punjabi University, Patiala

Career Prospects

There exist many opportunities in both private and public sector companies in travel and tourism industry. In the public sector, many opportunities arise in the state and central tourism departments as information assistants, tourism officers, marketing staff, tour guides, counter staff, tour planners, and reservation staff. Some of the organisations in the private sector that offer travel and tourism candidates are tour operators, hotels, airlines, transport and cargo companies, travel agencies, etc. Also, experienced professionals can begin their own business.

A few areas where individuals can work after completing a diploma, graduate or post graduate level course are as follows:

• Tourism Department
• Travel Agencies
• Road Transport
• Airlines
• Holiday consultants:
• Tour operators
• Hotels
• Holiday consultants
• Transport
• Banks

Remuneration

Career in travel and tourism industry offers good salary for the candidates. The pay scale varies at different levels as it depends upon experience and qualification. A fresher can begin the career with a salary of Rs.7500 to Rs.13000 per month. As the experience grows, the salary will also automatically go up.