Why pursue a career in Travel? – All you need to know

Indian Travel sector, in recent times, has seen an immense number of changes and continues to expand rapidly. This change is driven by several factors, the main being, advancement in technology. It is expected that the travel and tourism sector will take huge leaps of growth in the coming years creating innumerable career opportunities in travel and tourism.

A report published in March this year by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry[FICCI], and Netherland based services firm, Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler [KPMG], backs the fact.

Titled “Expedition 3.0: Travel and hospitality gone digital”, the report identifies five themes namely, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Big Data, Mobile Applications and Social Media to play a major role in the advancement of the travel industry in India.

These themes have had a significant impact on the millennial generation, and have been vigorously adapted by them. The increasing popularity of these customer-centric applications has led to the rise of travel startups. The report states:

“Travel and Hospitality is one of the key sectors for the Indian economy. Not only is it one of the highest foreign exchange earners, but also one of the largest employment generators.”

India alone generated a whopping 25.9 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector in 2017. Experts say, now is the best time to jump into this industry. A job in this industry can be highly rewarding and enjoyable.

The Indian government and several Indian travel associations like the Travel Agents Association of India [TAAI], the Travel Agents Federation of India [TAFI] and Global Panorama Showcase [GPS] have been at the forefront boosting travel and tourism in India.

Career opportunities in travel and tourism

Millennials and Gen-Z have endless career opportunities in travel. All you need is affection for travel and a liking towards helping others. Speaking to India Today, Rashmi Samarvir Arora, Owner of Costa Training Institute, Mumbai said:

“Students have endless career opportunities in the fastest growing industry of travel.”

The advantages of choosing a career in the travel and tourism industry are many. Primarily, seeking career opportunities in travel is easy, and once you land a job, if you are the enthusiastic and the driven kind, career advancement can be a cake-walk.

Secondarily, the industry offers fantastic job prospects, with several options across different verticals including Hospitality, Travel writing, Travel photography and more. It is up to you to choose a 9-5 routine or a more adventurous and unpredictable role.

And of course, travel and tourism is a growing industry. In a report titled “TRAVEL & TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT WORLD,” published by the World Travel & Tourism Council [WTTC], President & CEO, Gloria Guevara Manzo said:

“Inclusive growth and ensuring a future with quality jobs are the concerns of governments everywhere. Travel & Tourism, which already supports one in every ten jobs on the planet, is a dynamic engine of employment opportunity.”

Some of the job roles to look at:

• Airlines – Ground staff, In-Flight staff
• Hotels – Front office, Chef, Housekeeping, Security, Sales, Operations, PR
• Travel Blogger/ Travel Photographer
• Tourism Departments – Tour guides, Information Assistants
• Teach and Travel – Teach English, Teach Yoga
• Transportation – Foreign Exchange, Tour guides, Destination Management

Courses to opt for in travel and tourism

As we already know there is a wide range of career opportunities in travel. Many universities and colleges offer studies in travel and tourism ranging from, blog writing, photography lessons to hospitality management, destination management and airline management.

Students usually begin their travel career through a bachelors degree right after class 12. There are various Ministry of Tourism [MOT] approved post graduation courses that you can take up in India. Several travel agencies also offer short-term courses to enthusiastic learners.

Why wait? Hop on the bandwagon and proudly say I travel to get paid.

We at Travel Earth will be creating a career series presenting different career opportunities in travel to our readers. A one-stop solution for all your queries. Watch out for all our career advise here!