Career In Travel And Tourism Part - 1
Travel and Tourism one of the world's largest foreign exchange earners among service industries provides employment directly to millions of people worldwide and indirectly through many associated service industries. A very wide industry, it includes Government tourism departments, Immigration and customs services, travel agencies, airlines, tour operators, hotels etc and many associated service industries such as airline catering or laundry services, Guides, Interpreters, Tourism promotion and sales etc. Travel and Tourism enterprises include major internationals with a workforce of thousands, to the small private travel agent with a handful of employees.
(a) The Prospects:
Being a very wide field, the scope of employment in tourism sector is very bright and the potential is still largely untapped. Career opportunities exist both in the public and private sector. In the public sector, there are opportunities in the Directorates and Departments of Tourism of the center and the state as Officers, information assistants, Tourist guides etc.
Good career prospects exist for qualified tourism professionals in the private sector with travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, hotels, transport and cargo companies, travel consultancy organisations etc. The opening up of the skies to private airlines and their emerging tie-ups with foreign airlines has removed bottlenecks in the transport and communication network resulting in easy flow of domestic and foreign tourists in the country. Since this is a new area of employment, not many qualified and experienced people are available and promotion prospects are also very bright and rapid.
After a few years of experience, one can also start their own business by handling all travel requirements of a client and gradually building up business, taking on additional employees.
(b) The Job:
Work in the travel and tourism industry is essentially concerned with providing services for people who are away from home, on business or holiday. Travel can be leisure associated travel involving package tours, pilgrimage travel, medical tourism, nature travel and adventure travel etc or purely business related. Work at every functional level in the industry involves dealing directly with people.
As travel agents, you will need to assess the needs of tourists and businessmen and help them make the best possible travel arrangements from the many travel options available. Also, many major cruise lines, resorts, and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote travel packages to the millions of people who travel every year.
Travel agency: Have four departments: Tours, Travel, Accounts and Cargo.
Tours management and operations deal in travel and destination management. The work pertains to packaged tours to destinations in India and abroad. Planning and arrangement of accommodation, food, transport and entertainment are the major areas of work. Tour operators plan the itinerary, make reservations and depute guides/representatives for accompanying the tour groups.
Travel agents have the information and know-how so as to make the best possible travel arrangements, with their clients' preferences, budgets and other requirements. Their work involves provision of detailed information of routes, costs and other matters of interest.
For a trip abroad the agent also provides information on customs regulations, required papers (passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination) and the current currency exchange rates.
Cargo handling covers booking and recovery of Cargo from destinations connected by Air, rail or roads.
The Accounts department handles the billing and recovery of money from parties / individuals seeking help.
Guides:
Young graduates who have an aptitude in history and learning languages (especially foreign languages) could work as licensed guides. The Indian Institutes of Travel and Tourism Management (IITM) offer a course after which the person can be empanelled as a guide. This is a short duration course. Training in cultural tourism is very popular.
(C) Personality Traits:
1.) Good communication and presentation skills
2.)Good at customer service
3.)Outgoing
4.)Friendly personality
5.)Ability to handle people
6.)Verbal fluency
7.)Aptitude for languages will be advantageous
8.)Up-to-date knowledge of available facilities and services in the field
9.)Organizing ability
10.)Ability to make decisions
11.)Solve problems
12.)Work effectively within a team
(D) Salary:
Jobs in the travel and tourism industry offer good remuneration and perquisites, which include free travel for employees and their families. Salaries may vary within the industry and are higher in foreign airlines and agencies.
Basic Pay scales at different levels are approximately:
1.)Assistant Rs.10,000-12,500
2.)Junior Executive Rs.13,000-15,500
3.)Regional Manager Rs.18,800 20,000
4.)General Manager Rs.23,000-26,000
Regional guides: Their charges may range from Rs400 and above for an eight hour day. They may earn between Rs.30,000-40,000 or more in the three to four months of the tourist peak season.
To know more about other relevant information about Career in Travel and Tourism, read the Second Part (2) of this article.
(a) The Prospects:
Being a very wide field, the scope of employment in tourism sector is very bright and the potential is still largely untapped. Career opportunities exist both in the public and private sector. In the public sector, there are opportunities in the Directorates and Departments of Tourism of the center and the state as Officers, information assistants, Tourist guides etc.
Good career prospects exist for qualified tourism professionals in the private sector with travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, hotels, transport and cargo companies, travel consultancy organisations etc. The opening up of the skies to private airlines and their emerging tie-ups with foreign airlines has removed bottlenecks in the transport and communication network resulting in easy flow of domestic and foreign tourists in the country. Since this is a new area of employment, not many qualified and experienced people are available and promotion prospects are also very bright and rapid.
After a few years of experience, one can also start their own business by handling all travel requirements of a client and gradually building up business, taking on additional employees.
(b) The Job:
Work in the travel and tourism industry is essentially concerned with providing services for people who are away from home, on business or holiday. Travel can be leisure associated travel involving package tours, pilgrimage travel, medical tourism, nature travel and adventure travel etc or purely business related. Work at every functional level in the industry involves dealing directly with people.
As travel agents, you will need to assess the needs of tourists and businessmen and help them make the best possible travel arrangements from the many travel options available. Also, many major cruise lines, resorts, and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote travel packages to the millions of people who travel every year.
Travel agency: Have four departments: Tours, Travel, Accounts and Cargo.
Tours management and operations deal in travel and destination management. The work pertains to packaged tours to destinations in India and abroad. Planning and arrangement of accommodation, food, transport and entertainment are the major areas of work. Tour operators plan the itinerary, make reservations and depute guides/representatives for accompanying the tour groups.
Travel agents have the information and know-how so as to make the best possible travel arrangements, with their clients' preferences, budgets and other requirements. Their work involves provision of detailed information of routes, costs and other matters of interest.
For a trip abroad the agent also provides information on customs regulations, required papers (passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination) and the current currency exchange rates.
Cargo handling covers booking and recovery of Cargo from destinations connected by Air, rail or roads.
The Accounts department handles the billing and recovery of money from parties / individuals seeking help.
Guides:
Young graduates who have an aptitude in history and learning languages (especially foreign languages) could work as licensed guides. The Indian Institutes of Travel and Tourism Management (IITM) offer a course after which the person can be empanelled as a guide. This is a short duration course. Training in cultural tourism is very popular.
(C) Personality Traits:
1.) Good communication and presentation skills
2.)Good at customer service
3.)Outgoing
4.)Friendly personality
5.)Ability to handle people
6.)Verbal fluency
7.)Aptitude for languages will be advantageous
8.)Up-to-date knowledge of available facilities and services in the field
9.)Organizing ability
10.)Ability to make decisions
11.)Solve problems
12.)Work effectively within a team
(D) Salary:
Jobs in the travel and tourism industry offer good remuneration and perquisites, which include free travel for employees and their families. Salaries may vary within the industry and are higher in foreign airlines and agencies.
Basic Pay scales at different levels are approximately:
1.)Assistant Rs.10,000-12,500
2.)Junior Executive Rs.13,000-15,500
3.)Regional Manager Rs.18,800 20,000
4.)General Manager Rs.23,000-26,000
Regional guides: Their charges may range from Rs400 and above for an eight hour day. They may earn between Rs.30,000-40,000 or more in the three to four months of the tourist peak season.
To know more about other relevant information about Career in Travel and Tourism, read the Second Part (2) of this article.
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