Travel and tourism degrees can be used to start a career: Skills required, where to start?

Read on to get started on the path to a successful future and profession in the tourism industry.

Travel and tourism degrees can be used to start a career, what skills are required and where to start?

By India Today Web Desk: Providing satisfaction and enjoyable experiences to its customers is central to the travel and tourism industry. Countless job prospects can be explored and anticipated in one of the fastest growing industries. As a result, the sector is renowned for its job opportunities, prospects and benefits. The hospitality and travel sector is also expected to grow significantly in the coming years, which will require a high demand for specialists in this sector.

Read on to get started on the path to a successful future and profession in the tourism sector by expert Rajan Bahadur, CEO of Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC)

SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY

The travel and tourism sector being a human sector, developing the necessary skills is essential to progress. By offering their clients high-calibre services, professionals in this field are keen to establish their credibility. Candidates interested in this field should have a strong desire to learn something new every day, be prepared to handle conflict in the field, and have a knack for keeping abreast of the latest news and global socio-economic trends.

Here are some qualities and skills candidates need to hone if they want to succeed in the tourism industry:

• Must have taken a course related to hotel management or a job-specific course
• Strong networking skills
• Team work
• Worker
• Leadership skills
• Trust
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Pleasant and neat personality
• Diligence
• Flexibility
• Commitment
• Enthusiasm
• Good administrative and managerial skills
• Patience
• Good research and planning skills
• Skills for problem solving
• Organisational skills
• Time management skills

JOB OPTIONS AND PROFILES

There are countless job opportunities available to candidates in the public and private sectors after following the right path to becoming known and developing the skills needed for their dream job, even if the degree and experience are two important factors in the growth of tourism. industry. Here are some of the most popular travel and tourism profession options:

• Holiday/travel agency: A travel agent assesses the needs of tourists and helps them to best organize their trip by planning, choosing and arranging the client’s vacation. They work around the budget set by the client and offer advice on destination options, local tourist attractions, events and customs. Many hotels and tour operators hire travel agents to sell their tour packages to their customers.

• Stewardess / Purser / Airline catering: Ground staff play a crucial role in areas such as commercial activities, airport management, flight operations, etc. The work of ground staff is extensive and includes responsibilities such as inspection, aircraft food and drink storage, passenger safety and comfort, providing information, assisting passengers with disabilities, confirming reservations, selling tickets and storing and transporting luggage.

• Touristic guide: A tourist guide helps tourists to visit different tourist places and provides them with information on the cultural, historical and contemporary heritage of different historical, religious or other sites of interest. Tour guides make sure that itineraries are adhered to and that customers are entertainingly informed about the place they are visiting. They are also responsible for keeping the group safe and making sure tour groups stay together. Tour guides are employed by tour operators, hotels and tourist destinations.

• Travel Advisor/Consultant: A travel consultant is responsible for providing comprehensive travel advice to clients. An advisor ensures the most suitable travel deals for clients, including destinations, travel modes, climate-related details, accommodations and other areas of the service industry tailored to the client’s needs.

• Tour operator: A tour operator’s responsibilities include managing all logistical aspects of a tour, such as preparing tour itineraries in coordination with suppliers, booking tickets, booking accommodations, and more. Many companies organize tours for national and international customers and therefore require tour operators the same.

• Travel writer: This role often requires traveling to various destinations to develop stories for tourism-related journalism. They may be employed by newspapers, magazines, trade publications and government or may also work as freelance writers to write a range of travel-related stories such as historic places, vacations, adventure, hospitality industry, culture, etc.

• Food Photography/Food Stylist: Previous experience in the sector desired. Can be used by hotels, restaurants, advertising agencies, online food production lines, fast food chains, food magazines, newspapers, etc.

• Barista Specialist: A barista is a professional who prepares and serves beverages such as coffee, tea, and specialty drinks. They are responsible for taking orders and payments from customers. They also clean and disinfect their work areas, seats and equipment/tools.
• Food and Beverage Service – Starting with stewards/captain and working all the way up to catering managers. Categories to serve in our plate service, trolley service, plate service, buffet service and family style service.

• Housekeeping: Starting from Room boy/Supervisor and working up to Executive Housekeeper. Housekeepers are responsible for cleaning and reporting any safety hazards to the owner or responsible manager.

• Food production: From Clerk / Demi Chef de Partie to Executive. May obtain opportunities in hotels, airlines, food research laboratories, food wholesalers, catering establishments, retailers and restaurants and food processing companies.

• Food bloggers/food writers: Food blogging is a hallmark of food journalism that connects a gastronomic interest in food, blogging, and food photography.

• Facility Management companies: Facilities managers are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of an organization’s buildings, ensuring that they meet legal requirements and health and safety standards.

• Academics: Joining as a teacher in educational institutions for hospitality management courses or job-specific courses.

The hospitality and tourism industry understands the consideration of customer demands and sentiments to run a profitable business. The aforementioned professional paths coexist to welcome customers and thus support a person with the skills necessary for the exercise of a fruitful profession.

In line with the vision, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has supported THSC, a non-profit organization with inclusive representation from government, industry, industry associations and training institutes across the India. It is registered under the Companies Registration Act 1860. We were created by industry and for industry to solve the problem of training a large workforce to meet the demands of the sector, and we play a vital role in bridging this gap which is s constantly expanding. We are responsible for developing a strong and sustainable industry-wide skills development ecosystem that serves all sub-sectors of the industry, including hotels, tour operators, catering establishments, facilities and cruise liners.