Courses in Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism is a vast industry spanning across the globe. It provides employment to millions of people worldwide and is the major foreign exchange spinner for countries. In India too, the travel and tourism industry is a major one and is fast picking up now with India being promoted as a leisure travel destination by the government. Also, in the wake of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010, this industry will create hundreds of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly. With so much scope in this industry, a course in travel and tourism has become quite sought after by students looking to make a successful career. The travel and tourism industry is expanding fast in India and has generated lucrative many lucrative career options leading to emergence of several courses in Travel and Tourism.

After completion of the courses in Tourism, one can look at various job opportunities that this industry throws up. One can get a job in fields such as travel agencies, Airlines, hotels and governmental organizations dealing with Tourism. One can even look to become self-employed after gaining relevant experience in the travel industry. Thus, various existing and new institutes have come up with degree and diploma courses in travel and tourism to train students to meet the rising demand for trained professionals in the travel and tourism industry.

There are courses available in travel and tourism at all levels such as under-graduate level, postgraduate level, diploma and certification courses. The post-graduate degree in this field is Master of Tourism Administration (MTA). It is a two year full time programme approved by the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India. Other courses include bachelors degree courses in airlines, tourism & hospitality management, Bachelor of Tourism Administration, Bachelor of Tourism Studies, BTM (Hons), PG diploma course in Tourism Studies, Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Tourism & Travel), Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Tourism & Leisure), PG program in Travel and Tourism, Master of Business Administration in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Postgraduate diploma course in Tourism Management, M.A. in Tourism Management Master of Tourism Management etc. Not all colleges and institutes offer these courses. However, there are many private and government institutes across India that caters to students looking to pursue these courses in travel and tourism.

You should be higher secondary examination pass to get admission to travel and tourism courses at the undergraduate level. At post-graduate level, the eligibility is graduation in any field. Some institutes conduct an entrance exam followed by group discussions and interviews while others take admission on the basis of cut-off percentage. If you are proficient in at least one foreign language, you would be preferred for admission. The Eligibility for certification courses is 10+2. Some courses can also be pursued through distance learning.

In India, travel and tourism industry, has fast picked up in the recent past. With growing worldwide interest in culture and heritage of India and with the support and encouragement of government to promote India as a travel destination, the industry is undergoing massive expansion and improvement. This bodes well for all professionals who are looking to make a career in travel and tourism. If you have the right attributes that it takes to excel in this field and have the capacity for hard work, you can easily rise to the top quickly in this field and even go on to head your own travel agency. A job in travel and tourism not just gives good salary as well as perks but also gives an opportunity to explore different people and destinations.

There are various fields in travel and tourism industry. Travel could be of many types such as leisure travel, pilgrim travel, adventure travel or purely business. There are different set of demands and requirements for each. However, all work in this industry involves direct dealing with people. Thus, one needs to have excellent communication and presentation skills to provide good service to the customers. A friendly personality, an ability to mix well with people, interpersonal skills, a pleasing personality, negotiation skills, quick thinking and decision making skills are essential to succeed in this field. Armed with a professional course and these personality attributes, one can make a successful career in travel and tourism.

About The Author-- Geetika Jain writes on behalf of Shiksha.com. Shiksha.com is an education portal that connects education seeker with education provider. Shiksha.com has wide information over study abroad colleges, Professional colleges in India and courses like travel and tourism courses etc. Its education forums enable its users to seek opinion of students, alumni and faculty of colleges and schools through College Groups and School Groups.

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