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Travel and Tourism is probably the world's largest industry. The main reasons for travel today are leisure, business and government work - the first two providing the majority of the industry's clientele. The travel and tourism industry is the largest foreign exchange earner among all our industries and currently provides direct employment to over fifty lakh people, and indirectly covers possibly all areas of economic activity. Moreover, the number is likely to increase with massive plans for future expansion, creating a demand for skilled, trained personnel in various spheres of the industry. Work in the travel and tourism industry is essentially concerned with providing services for people who are travelling away from home, either on business or on a holiday. At every functional level in the industry, the work involves dealing directly with people, whether with clients, on a one-to-one basis over the counter while helping them plan their itinerary or providing ticketing services to company executives, while trying to procure business, or with airline, railway, road, shipping and transport company staff , passport and visa officials, suppliers, hotel personnel and various other agents. Travel Agents are concerned with the marketing of travel and tourism. There are mainly four areas of work in any travel agency. These include - Marketing, which includes advertising and promoting agency services to existing and potential clients to procure business for the company ; Ticketing, which involves helping clients plan itineraries, working out travel routes, providing information on destinations, selling transportation tickets, arranging visas, making stay reservations, etc. ; Tour Operators of a travel agency deal specifically in travel and destination management. They put together and sell package holidays, which include offering special interest packages that range from archaeology to golf, wildlife, and even astrology. And Tourist Guides who accompany tourists to their destinations, taking care of their various needs there and organize various activities in these locations. With the growing professionalism and resultant competitiveness of the travel and tourism industry, it has become essential to receive formal training in the profession. Most companies too, now prefer to hire applicants who have received professional training in Travel and Tourism.
Eligibility:
Duration:
Some of the prominent institutions offering courses in Travel and Tourism are as follows:
Aptitude for figure work; accuracy; good memory; organizing ability; awareness of people, places and areas of interest; ability to handle people; interest in people; good sense of judgement; verbal fluency; aptitude for languages; up-to-date knowledge of available services and facilities; friendly and personable manner and appearance; common sense; good health; a passion for travel; willingness to work hard, long hours and on weekends and holidays.
Job opportunities in the travel and tourism industry are varied and tremendous. The main ones are listed below:
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