Free Travel and Tourism Courses Online For A Career As a Travel Agent

When we talk about economic development, cultural growth, and national integration, the tourism industry has a significant role—talking about some stats of the tourism industry. India ranked 34 in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019, published by the World Economic Forum. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested people visit 15 domestic tourist destinations in India by 2022 to promote tourism. With this, the demand for the best free travel and tourism courses online has also increased considerably. The total contribution by the travel and tourism sector to India's GDP is projected to rise from Rs 15.24 lakh crore (US$ 234.03 billion) in 2017 to Rs 32.05 lakh crore (US$ 492.21 billion) in 2028. The total profit from this sector in India is targeted to reach US$ 50 billion by 2022, and one can easily have a high-paying career as a travel agent in the industry.

Travel agents are the individuals responsible for helping various people, groups, and businesses organize their travel schedules. Candidates interested in the travel and tourism industry can opt for these best free travel and tourism courses online. For starters, pursuing the best free travel and tourism courses online from a recognized university in India or even abroad can help you get started with a flourishing career as a travel agent.

You may read a career as a Travel Agent.

Free Travel and Tourism Courses Online For A Career As a Travel Agent

Pursuing the best free travel and tourism courses online in tourism is a great way to excel in this industry. There are a variety of institutes offering bachelor's degrees in this respective field. But if you are a beginner and instead of pursuing a particular degree, you want to focus on some best free travel and tourism courses online, you are in the right place. Here we have shortlisted the top 10 best free travel and tourism courses online to get a promising career as a travel agent in this industry.

(Note : The details provided in the above table has been accumulated by the team at Careers360.)

Also Read- Professional Certificate in Tourism and Travel Agency Management by Amity University elearning, Greater Noida via The University of Queensland, Brisbane

1. International Travel Preparation, Safety, & Wellness

Such travel and tourism certification courses cover all the necessary details that one needs to know before stepping into the industry and becoming a travel agent. These travel and tourism certification courses are an entry-level course, and one must find it very easy, as it is primarily theory-based. All the topics covered with adequate information make it one of the best travel and tourism courses.

• Offered by Coursera

• Beginner Level

• Fees: Free

• Approx. 10 hours to complete

• Topics Covered:

  • Nuts and Bolts of Travel Preparation

  • Travel Health & Prevention

  • Staying Safe

  • Cultural Competence & Ethics

2. Create a Traveling Plan in Excel

Such travel and tourism certification courses cover a single yet the most intriguing travel and tourism element– creating a travel plan. Often, people know where they wish to go and spend their vacations, but they want help to define their travel time. Creating a travel plan includes selecting the right time to travel to the correct destination, where the client would stay, what all places they will visit, and so on.

• Offered by Udemy

• Beginner Level

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 1hr 11min

• Topics Covered:

  • Creating an overview of the traveling plan

  • Your traveling information

  • Designing in Excel

  • Your lodging information

  • Your vacation activities

  • The budget for your travels

  • Cruise information

  • Timeline of your vacation

Also Read - Introduction to the Travel & Tourism Industry: Passport to the World by The Global Travel and Tourism Partnership via Futurelearn

3. Strategic Planning in the Tourism Industry

Again a dedicated course to gain insights into strategic planning in tourism, if you are willing to get a job in the corporate tourism or government tourism industries, such travel and tourism certification courses would be one of the most comprehensive travel & tourism courses. The course covers the tourism business from a wide perspective and teaches you to adapt to the rapid changes that occur in the market from time to time.

• Offered by Udemy

• All Levels

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 54 min

• Topics Covered:

  • Analyze the tourism business environment

  • Manage organizational processes

  • Understand the changing market environment

4. Tourism And Travel Management

As the name clearly states, it is a travel and tourism management course that would cover the concepts and teach you about the practical implication of the same. Statistical aspects such as impact, costing, and history in tourism are also covered in this course.

• Offered by Class Central

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 12 weeks

• Paid Certificate Available

• Topics Covered:

  • Meaning and definition of Travel & Tourism

  • Basic minimum Standards of adventure tourism

  • Communication in Guiding

  • Body Language and Commentary

  • Importance of tourism transport

  • Transport costing and pricing

  • Tourism planning and development

  • Impact of Tourism

  • The social and cultural impact of tourism

  • Ethics in tourism

Also Read - Tourism transport and Travel Services by SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore via Swayam

5. Tourism - Marketing and Promotion

A specialized course for those interested in tourism's marketing and advertising aspect, it would give you useful information on how to advertise the right tourist place to the proper potential tourists. Such travel and tourism certificate courses also include basic marketing strategies.

• Offered by Alison

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 1.5-3 Hours

• Certificate Available

• Topics Covered:

  • Advertising Tourism

  • Marketing strategies

  • End of course Assessment

6. Tourism - Introduction to Retail Travel Sales

Considered as one of the travel and tourism certificate courses, this course teaches you the basics of running a tour and travel agency. If you wish to set-up your agency, then this course is handmade for you. It would teach you critical aspects of running a business, grab clients online, and manage wholesale tour ventures.

• Offered by Alison

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 1.5-3 Hours

• Certificate Available

• Topics Covered:

  • Tour Wholesalers

  • Retail Travel Agencies

  • Online travel retail

  • Methods to create appealing tourism products

Also Read - Tourism and Travel Management by The University of Queensland, Brisbane via Edx

7. Advanced Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management

Diploma courses are advanced in a way; they cover all the educational and practical aspects of a topic and so does this course. Such travel and tourism diploma courses in travel and tourism are ideal for beginners who wish to have a wider learning about the hospitality sector and how it functions in tandem with the tourism industry.

It is especially beneficial since you will get to know about how the tourism industry creates livelihoods for a multitude of sectors that are centred around the idea of tourism and travelling to newer places and experiences.

• Offered by Alison

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 15-20 Hours

• Certificate Available

• Topics Covered:

  • Modes of Transport

  • Types of accommodation

  • Tourism Industry Career

  • Travel Patterns

  • Online Travel Agencies

8. Diploma in Tourism Studies - Revised 2018

Counted amongst the most popular travel and tourism courses on the platform, this one covers aspects such as the history and evolution of the travel industry. Such online travel and tourism courses are offered by Alison and deals with the ever-growing sector of tourism and its impact on the global economy. Such travel and tourism diploma courses provide you with a certificate and can be completed within 8 to 12 hours.

• Offered by Alison

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 8-10 Hours

• Certificate Available

• Topics Covered:

  • History of Travel

  • Factors affecting Travel

  • Careers and Tourism

  • Amenities and transport

  • Types of Travel

  • Travel destinations

  • Advertising Tourism

  • Tourist Industry

9. Tourism and Travel Management

Such travel and tourism diploma courses are one of the most advanced online tourism courses with certificates that require time and dedication to complete the course syllabus as well as gain an understanding of the concept of travel management, so you would have to dedicate a specific time for this course on a regular basis. Such online travel and tourism courses take you on a journey to understand the industry’s challenges, comments on the travel and tourism industry’s foundational principles and how countries and companies can collaborate towards solving tourism-related issues globally.

• Offered by Edx(The University of Queensland Australia)

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 7 Weeks (2–3 hours per week)

• Verified Certificate for ₹368

• Topics Covered:

  • Challenges faced by the tourism industry

  • Analyzing tourism and travel management principles

  • Formulating strategies to address tourism issues and challenges

10. INTERNATIONAL TOURISM

Such online travel and tourism courses specifically cover topics related to culture as a contributor in the tourism industry, how hotels and their tariffs contribute to footfall and other practical aspects. If your dream is to travel the world and explore the best aspects about the different cultures that exist across the 7 continents of the world, this is a good course to get started on that journey. Such online travel and tourism courses are one of the highly demanded courses in tourism on the platform and is part of an extensive series of course material, focusing solely on international tourism and its various aspects.

• Offered by Udemy

• Fees: Free

• Duration: 42 min

• Topics Covered:

  • Tourist sites

  • Hotel Reservations

  • Travel Advice

  • Luggage and packaging

  • Knowledge about money exchanges

  • World culture knowledge.

Top Skills Required for a candidate interested in the Travel and Tourism Industry

In any industry, your skills and portfolio have a significant role to play. So, if you wish to enter the travel and tourism industry, these are the basic skills you need to adopt to have a successful career as a travel agent here. For attaining these skills, you can opt for some of the best free travel and tourism courses online.

• Interpersonal Skills

• Good Administration Skills

• Friendly Nature

• Good Decision Making

• Creative Skills

• Technical Skills

• Persuasion Skills

• Good Attention to Detail

• Excellent Communication Skills

• Communication Skills

Top Recruiting Agencies in this travel and tourism field

When we talk about the travel and tourism industry, there are plenty of companies hiring interested candidates. These companies always prefer candidates who have pursued some of the best free travel and tourism courses online. The top travel planning companies in the market include:

• Travelite

• Thomas Cook

• Club Mahindra Holidays

• MakeMyTrip

• Kesari Tours

• Expedia

• Cox and Kings

• Goibibo

• SOTC

• Travelguru

• Yatra

Top Institutes for Travel and Tourism Courses

With the rising demand for tourism courses, several institutes have introduced some new courses. Here we have a list of the top 10 institutes providing best free travel and tourism courses online after 12th.

1. Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Noida

2. YMCA, New Delhi

3. The School of Excellence, Mumbai

4. Parul University, Vadodara

5. Avalon Academy Dehradun

6. International Institute of Hotel Management Hyderabad

7. Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi

8. Panache Academy, Indore

9. Mata Sundri College for Women, Delhi

10. Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

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