Tourism: Scope And Career Opportunities

What Is Tourism?

Tourism is yet another demanding field and has seen exponential growth in recent years. It is a dynamic and competitive industry that requires the ability to adapt constantly to customers' changing needs and desires, as the customer's satisfaction, safety, and enjoyment are the focus of tourism businesses.

When is World Tourism day Celebrated?

• World Tourism Day is being observed on September 27.

Eligibility criteria:

• One looks to be a part of Tourism Industry must have the hunger to learn new things every day, along with the knack to stay updated with the latest trends.Although it would seem all glamorous the industry has much more to offer and requires hard working and diligent individuals.
• Those interested in Tourism can opt for a diploma, certificate, undergraduate or postgraduate programs.
• The minimum eligibility criterion for taking admission to a tourism course at the undergraduate level is the completion of Class 12
• On the other hand, if you're looking for an admission to postgraduate programs, you must be a graduate from a recognized institute and also appear for an entrance test.
• Distance Learning programs in Tourism and Travel management are also provided by many institutes along degree courses, certificate courses, PG Diploma, and degree courses, etc.

The following courses can be opted for by the students wanting to be a part of the Travel and Tourism industry:

• UG courses travel and tourism management.
• Bachelor in Tourism Studies.
• PG courses travel and tourism management.
• Master of Tourism Administration.
• Master in Travel Administration.
• M.A. in Tourism Management.
• Diploma courses travel and tourism management.
• PG Diploma in Travel and Tourism.
• Diploma in Tourism and Hotel Management.
• Diploma in Airline, Travel, and Tourism.

Topics covered:

• Economics for tourism
• International tourism
• Relationship marketing
• Tourism marketing
• Tour operations management
• Tourism principles and practices
• Travel agency management
• Travel and tourism industry

Payscale:

• A tourism degree salary can be very lucrative for those wanting to work in the industry. Individuals with tourism degrees can maximize their pay by furthering their education or gaining significant experience in the field and moving up to higher-level positions.

Career Options In Tourism:

There are many options to venture into to be a part of the tourism sector; public and private. The following are some of the profiles one can look into:

Tourism Department:

• There are jobs as Reservation and counter staff, Sales and marketing staff, Tour Planners and Tour guides. There is also the requirement of Information assistants at the office of the Tourism departments who are selected through competitive examinations held by the Staff Selection Commission. The option of working as a Guide is also listed under the tourism department as the Ministry of Tourism recognizes three types of guides; regional, state and local.

Airlines:

• One can opt for being the ground staff or in-flight staff. Apart from working as Air hostess/ Stewards, you can look into the option of Traffic Assistance, Reservation and Counter Staff, etc.

Hotels:

• The Hotel Industry is a service industry, serves the basic requirement of food and accommodation. One can choose from Operations, Front office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverages, Accounting, Engineering/ Maintenance, Sales, Public relations and Security, etc as one of the many departments to work with.

Tour operators:

• They are the ones who help organize conducted tours to the various tourist spots and manage the travel and stay of the tourists.

Travel Agents:

• Travel agents evaluate the requirements of tourists and businessmen and help them make the best possible travel arrangements from the many available. Many resorts, travel groups use travel agents to promote their tour packages to travelers.

Transport:

• Apart from airlines, travelers require rail services, coach operators, car hire companies to go from one place to another - by air, road, railway, sea etc. All this is taken care by the ones handling transport.

Some Universities/ Institutes offering Travel and Tourism Courses:

• Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management-Govindpuri, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
• Himachal Pradesh University- Shimla
• Banaras Hindu University
• Aligarh Muslim University
• Punjab University
• Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies- Trivandrum
• National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management- Hyderabad
• Dibrugarh University, Centre of Mgmt Studies (CMS) - Dibrugarh, Assam
• Institute of Mgmt Sciences (University of Lucknow) - Lucknow
• Institute of Management Studies (IMS) - Ghaziabad
• Regional College of Management (RCM)- Bhubaneswar, Orissa

Also read: Sommelier: A Fresh Pathway in Tourism and Hospitality