A Career in Travel and Tourism Sector

Travel and tourism industry offers abundant opportunity for the candidates seeking careers in this field. If you have a strong desire to make a career in a service industry and have a knack to provide excellent service to others, then this fast-paced industry is for you.

Travel and tourism industry is quite vast and includes Directorates and Departments of Tourism; Government Recognized Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Airlines, Hotels, Transport and Cargo Companies etc. Being a vast field, the career options in this sector are unlimited, with various opportunities existing in both private and public sector. Major career options are as travel agents; travel and tourism consultants; tour operators and guides; client relationship managers and so on.

Jobs in Directorates and Departments of Tourism: These are public sector jobs and major profiles are as Reservation staff, Sales staff; Marketing staff, Tour Planners and Consultants; Tour guides; and Officers in the Directorate and Departments of Tourism such as information assistants. A bachelor’s degree in travel and tourism is the minimum requirement for operational jobs in public sector organizations. High profile job vacancies are filled through civil services examinations and other competitive examinations held by the Staff Selection Commission. Public sector job vacancies are normally advertised through the employment news.

Tour Guides: There are three types of licenses are issued for tour guides by Ministry of Tourism such as regional, state and local. Generally a tour guide license is issued for a two year renewable period which is endorsed for life by the Archeological Survey of India.

Tour Operators: They are responsible for organizing tours to the various tourist spots as well as for managing the travel and accommodation of the tourists. If you have a pleasing and outgoing personality, and love to travel with the groups and know various tourist destinations, a career as a tour operator will be a good choice.

Travel Agents: They are responsible for making the customized travel arrangements for the tourists and businessmen. Travel agents are supposed to handle almost everything related to the travel of their clients such as the travel mode, documentation required; hotel accommodation; current exchange rates, hot spots to visit; travel related finance and budgets and all other special needs.

Since the tourism industry operates in a highly competitive environment it is important that those seeking careers should have minimum a diploma or graduation in travel and tourism management programs.