Hello,

Professionals working in the industry of travel and tourism are concerned with providing quality services to people who are away from home on a holiday or business. Candidates looking to pursue a career in tourism industry must have a love for travelling along with the hunger to learn new things and knack of staying up-to-date with the latest news as well as socio-economic trends of the world.

There are many colleges and universities in India that offer undergraduate or postgraduate level degree, diploma, certificate, distance learning, and online courses in various sectors of travel and tourism. Some such sectors include tourism management, tour operation, airline management, airline ticketing, travel administration, etc.

Given below is generic travel and tourism eligibility criteria for UG as well as PG courses. It may be noted that the eligibility criteria might vary depending on the policies of the college/ university in which a candidate is applying.

Eligibility Criteria for Bachelor Degree Courses : Candidates should clear Class XII in any stream from a recognised board with a minimum aggregate percentage (usually 50% - 60%).

Eligibility Criteria for Master Degree Courses : Candidates should clear graduation from a recognised institute/ university with a minimum percentage (usually 45% - 60%). Preference for admission is usually given to candidates who have proficiency in any of the foreign languages.

Eligibility Criteria for Diploma Courses : Candidates should clear Class XII from a recognised board with minimum 50% - 60% aggregate marks.

Eligibility Criteria for PG Diploma Courses : Candidates should clear graduation from a recognised university with minimum 50% - 60% aggregate marks.

Eligibility Criteria for Certificate Courses : Candidates should clear Class XII from a recognised board with at least 45% - 50% marks.

Eligibility Criteria for Distance Learning/ Online Courses : Candidates must note that Travel & Tourism distance learning/ online courses are offered at all – degree, diploma and certificate levels. Therefore, eligibility criteria for distance learning programmes remains the same as mentioned above for different courses.

While experience is a significant factor to grow in the field of travel and tourism, there are endless job opportunities that candidates can avail in both private and public sectors after pursuing a course in the same. Some of the popular job profiles in travel and tourism are:

• Holiday/ Travel Agent : A travel agent evaluates the requirements of tourists and help them make the best possible travel arrangements. Many hotels and travel groups hire travel agents to sell their tour packages to clients.
• Travel Executive : A travel executive is responsible for managing different aspects of a travel including transportation, flight booking, hotel accommodation, destination information, etc.
• Tourism Manager : A tourism manager promotes tourism in his/her region through different advertising strategies and campaigns. The manager also offers assistance to tourists of different cultures and traditions.
• Travel Officer/ Coordinator : A travel coordinator finds best prices on hotels, flights and rental cars; processes employee travel expenses, sets up corporate discounts with travel vendors, creates itineraries, etc.
• Airlines/ Ground Staff : The ground staff plays a crucial role in areas such as commercial activities, running of airports, airline operations, etc. The job of ground staff is vast and include responsibilities such as inspecting, storing and transporting luggage; and stocking the aircraft with food and beverage items.
• Tourist Guide : A tourist guide helps tourists visiting different tourist places and provides them information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage of religious and historical sites, museums and other places of interest.
• Transport Officer : A transport officer is typically appointed by a state government or local transport body to carry out activities like maintenance of the vehicle fleet, overseeing vehicle establishment programmes, certifying ground transportation budget etc.
• Travel Counselor/ Consultant : A travel counselor has the responsibility of providing complete guidance on travel to clients. A counselor ensures best travel deals for the clients.
• Tour Operator : A tour operator is a professional who organises tours and manages the travel and stay of tourists. There are many companies which operate tours for domestic as well as international clients and thus require tour operators.
• Travel Writer : A travel writer is responsible for writing an array of stories related to travel such as historical places, vacations, adventure, hotel industry, culture, etc