What is Travel and Tourism Course?
The travel and tourism industry in India is currently experiencing unprecedented growth. The industry is one of the largest and most profitable industries in India and contributes significantly to the foreign exchange earned. As per various studies, the industry is expected to create over 45 million jobs in India by 2025.
Students have endless career opportunities in this fast-growing industry of travel and tourism. Candidates looking to pursue their career in the industry can choose to work for travel agencies, government tourism departments, tour operations, immigration and customs services, airlines, hotels, and the list continues.
Candidates can pursue a degree, diploma, or certificate course in travel and tourism at graduation or post-graduation level. Candidates can also pursue PhD in their chosen subject of travel and tourism to build their career in the field of research.
Know what a travel and tourism course have to offer in terms of the course curriculum, job profiles, top recruiters, and more.
Travel &Tourism Eligibility Criteria
There are many colleges and universities in India that offer undergraduate or postgraduate level degrees, diplomas, certificates, distance learning, and online courses in various sectors of travel and tourism. Some such sectors include tourism management, tour operation, airline management, airline ticketing, travel administration, etc.
Given below are generic travel and tourism eligibility criteria for UG as well as PG courses. It may be noted that the eligibility criteria might vary depending on the policies of the college/ university to which a candidate is applying.
| Course Name | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | Candidates should clear Class XII in any stream from a recognised board with a minimum aggregate percentage (usually 50% – 60%). |
| Master’s Degree | Candidates should clear graduation from a recognised institute/ university with a minimum percentage (usually 45% – 60%). Preference for admission is usually given to candidates who have proficiency in any of the foreign languages. |
| Diploma | Candidates should clear Class XII from a recognised board with minimum 50% – 60% aggregate marks. |
| PG Diploma | Candidates should clear graduation from a recognised university with minimum 50% – 60% aggregate marks. |
| Certification | Candidates should clear Class XII from a recognised board with at least 45% – 50% marks. |
| Distance Learning/Online Course | Candidates must note that Travel & Tourism distance learning/ online courses are offered at all – degree, diploma, and certificate levels. Therefore, eligibility criteria for distance learning programmes remain the same as mentioned above for different courses. |
Travel & Tourism Entrance Exams
Some of the common entrance tests for admission to Travel & Tourism courses are:
- National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology Joint Entrance Examination
- Central Universities Common Entrance Test
- Maharashtra Hotel Management Common Entrance Test
- MAKAUT Common Entrance Test
- International Hotel Management Common Entrance Test
- Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management Joint Entrance Test
- Banaras Hindu University Undergraduate Entrance Test
- Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test
- Jamia Millia Islamia Entrance Exam
Travel & Tourism Required Skillset
Professionals working in the industry of travel and tourism are concerned with providing quality services to people who are away from home on a holiday or business. Candidates looking to pursue a career in tourism industry must have a love for travelling along with the hunger to learn new things and knack of staying up-to-date with the latest news as well as socio-economic trends of the world.
Some of the traits and skills that candidates should have to build a successful career in travel and tourism industry are:
Skillset for Travel & Tourism Candidates | |
|---|---|
Confidence | Excellent communication skills |
Strong interpersonal skills | Pleasant and well-groomed personality |
Diligence | Flexibility |
Commitment | Enthusiasm |
Good administration and management skills | Patience |
Good research and planning skills | Problem-solving skills |
Organisation skills | Time management skills |
Strong networking skills | Teamwork |
Hardworking | Leadership skills |
Travel & Tourism Syllabus
Curriculum of a travel and tourism programme depends on the course a candidate is pursuing – degree, diploma, or certificate. However, to get an overview of the subjects taught in some of the popular travel and tourism courses (mentioned in the table below), click on Tourism: Courses one can study.
Popular Travel and Tourism Courses | |
|---|---|
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 |
Travel & Tourism Job Profiles
While experience is a significant factor in the field of travel and tourism, there are endless job opportunities that candidates can avail in both private and public sectors after pursuing a course in the same. Some of the popular job profiles in travel and tourism are:
- Holiday/ Travel Agent: A travel agent evaluates the requirements of tourists and helps 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 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 the 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 includes responsibilities such as inspecting, storing, and transporting luggage; and stocking the aircraft with food and beverage items.
- Tourist Guide: A tourist guide helps visiting different tourist places and provides them with information on the 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 Counselor/ Consultant: A travel counselor has the responsibility of providing complete guidance on travel to clients. A counselor ensures the best travel deals for clients.
- Tour Operator: A tour operator is a professional who organises tours and manages the travel and stay of tourists. There are many companies that 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, the hotel industry, culture, etc.
Travel & Tourism Top Recruiters
Some of the top recruiters in the field of travel and tourism are:
Top Recruiters in Travel & Tourism | |
|---|---|
Cox & Kings Ltd | Thomas Cook (India) Ltd |
MakeMyTrip (and GoIbibo) | Balmer Lawrie Travel & Vacations |
Yatra | ClearTrip |
Jet Airways | India Healthcare Tourism (IHCT) |
Flying Fox | SOTC India |
Kuoni Travel | East India Travel Co |
Kesai Tours | Club Mahindra Holidays |
Expedia | TravelGuru |
Air Asia | American Express Global Business Travels |
Travix Leisure & Travels Pvt Ltd | – |
