Jayanti Ghose goes globe-trotting and discovers the finer nuances of the booming travel and tourism industry

THE tourism industry is a mega factor contributing to the wellbeing of a nation. It brings in loads of moolah and job opportunities for its people. The basic job of tourism is to commercialise the natural beauty and resources of a country and to help its inhabitants broaden their minds by learning from other cultures. It is also responsible for improving the various facilities of a place such as transportation, civic amenities, communication, hospitality and recreation facilities.

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Over the last decade, tourism has evolved in scope and direction and is no longer relegated to traditional activities such as business and pleasure. Today, tourism is spread over a wide range of activities and can broadly be categorised into sport and leisure, adventure and eco-tourism. People are increasingly travelling for a variety of unconventional reasons such as medical or health; pilgrimage or spiritual yatras; wildlife; culture and heritage; political trips; na ture/ eco tourism; and to learn/ experience the different festivals, cuisines and crafts across the globe.

The travel industry is vast and involves a plethora of specialists / organisations looking into the various aspects such as transport (airlines, railways, shipping, bus service, etc); accommodation (hotels, resorts, etc); travel agencies and tour operators; tourist information bureaus; curio, crafts and mementoes, duty free shops and recreation providers etc.

Skills: Being friendly and informal is important as this is key to attracting people. You should have a natural liking for people as this job involves extensive dealings with different kinds of people. The industry also demands excellent organisational skills; great sense of imagination; creative abilities to problem solving, excellent customer service and communication skills. Ability to work long hours and on holidays, eye for detail and capacity to work under stress are other requisites. Being in tune with social customs always helps.

Education and training:

You could choose from a variety of courses including ticketing and reservation; hotel or destination management (class 12/ 10+2/ equivalent) or do a postgraduate diploma and degree course (for graduates) in tourism and travel management. Additionally, IATA and City Guilds offer a variety of international qualifications.

Those trained in art (fine arts, crafts, dance, music, theatre, etc) can offer tourists a view of the traditional arts and crafts of the nation. Graduates passionate about the country’s history may become travel guides while those trained in adventure sports, wildlife care or event management can provide specialised tourist activities and experiences. Photographers and travel writers, museologists and curators are also part of the industry. Foreign language interpreters help international tourists in India.

Institutions (indicative listing):

·         Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Gwalior (www.iittm.org).

·         Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism management, New Delhi (www.itdcidea.com).

·         Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), Thiruvanthapuram (www.kittstour.org).

·         School of Management Centre for Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry (www.pondiuni.org/scho.html).

·         Garware Institute of Career Education and Development, Kalina, Mumbai.

·         Sophia-Shree Basant Kumar Somani Memorial Polytechnic, Mumbai (www.sophiacampus.com)

·         National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management , Hyderabad (www.nithmtourismuniv.or g)

·         IATA/ UFTAA Travel and Tourism courses (www.iata.org/training/trav el_tourism)

·         City and Guilds International (www.cityandguilds.com)

Placements and prospects:

Travel and tourism represents a broad range of related industries and services such as hotels, restaurants, retailing, transportation, travel agencies, tour companies, cruise lines, tourist attractions, leisure, recreation and sport and cultural organisations.

Dotted with religious spots for different communities, religious/ pilgrimage tourism is becoming a major sector. Kerala pioneered in the health tourism sector in India through Ayurveda. Other forms of health tourism include yoga, massages, ayurvedic medicine etc.

A clutch of state-of-the-art, but relatively low-cost hospitals like Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, Apollo Hospital Chennai, PD Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai and Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi have become a centre of the booming medical tourism industry and atleast a dozen more including Wockhardt, Breach Candy, CARE, etc.are considered equally good.

The department of tourism, government of Karnataka, has ambitious plans for the state in medical tourism while the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry,Western Region Council (FICCI-WRC) has set up a task force for the promotion of health and medical tourism in Maharashtra.

A study by CII and McKinsey has estimated that medical tourism could bring Indian an additional revenue of Rs 50-100 billion by 2012.The Ministry of Tourism has identified 40 locations in rural areas for development and promotion. Each has its own USP such as Pochampalli in Andhra Pradesh is known for its traditional weave saris while Raghurajpur village in Orissa is famous for its crafts and Odissi dance. Rural tourism will attract those craving for knowledge in the traditional ways of life, arts and crafts and aims to boost employment opportunities in rural areas. It will offer a ready market to rural artisans and hasten development in these areas.