Revel in travel

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">With more disposable income and interest in travelling for leisure and business, the travel and tourism industries are big businesses and have become influential forces in the economy. Tourism is concerned with encouraging, entertaining and assisting business travellers and tourists, while the travel industry covers tour operators and travel agents who arrange and coordinate travel within the country and abroad.Travel industry includes airlines, cruise ships, luxury bus services, railways, to name a few that transport people to their chosen destination.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">The tourist inflow into the country touched a new high of 27.5 lakh in 2003 and tourism experts are hopeful that the trend is going to continue in 2004 as well. The forex from tourism registered a 23 per cent increase and touched Rs 17,000 crore. India got Gold awards in Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) meet, including two for the state of Kerala and two for the Ministry of Tourism. Some people in tourism and travel management work behind the scenes, while others meet people all the time. There are jobs for those who enjoy planning ahead and making money and others for people whose interest is in helping the public as best as they can.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Skills and attributes</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Most jobs in tourism and travel demand general knowledge including basic English, the national language, arithmetic, geography, history and civics of the secondary school level. Your appearance should be neat and clean, fashionable but fairly conventional. A smile can put a friendly tone in your voice and create the right image. Interest and enthusiasm for your work is the right attitude for success in these industries. Hardworking individuals who are self-starters, persuasive, sensitive and adaptable can provide quality service to their customers.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Education and training</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">For a long time training in travel and tourism was related mostly to tour guiding, reservation and ticketing, understanding of procedures, among other things. The specialised travel administration and management programmes give a thorough grounding in business management with specialised emphasis on travel and tourism sector. They provide the knowledge and skills to understand in totality the travel and tourism and cargo industry, its inter-relationship and impacts. Students are no longer restricted to theoretical details, so they acquire the trade-oriented skills related to travel and tourism and air cargo as well. They develop analytical and innovative attitudes to facilitate changes and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the tourism industry.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Modules in a tourism and travel management course usually cover subjects from the management stream, the travel and tourism sector integrating computer and information technology related concepts and foreign language skills. Thus, a postgraduate course would integrate an academic knowledge of management studies with its applications in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">The IATA/ UFTAA International Travel and Tourism Training Programme is based on a four-level career path: foundation, consultant, management and senior management courses, to develop professional skills of managers and executives in the travel industry. Courses are available as self-teach, home-study courses, IATA computer-based training (CBT) and classroom courses in authorised training centres around the world.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Prospects</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">At the Central and the state government levels, officers in the administrative services are posted to the tourism department. In the private sector, travel management professionals find placement in tour companies, travel agencies, among others. According to estimates, one out of every nine jobs in the world will be generated by the travel and tourism industry. A career in the travel industry opens up a world of opportunities ensuring growth opportunities and excellent pay packets.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold="">Institutions</span><br /></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Govindpuri, Gwalior-474011 (www.iittm.org) (</span><a href="http://www.iittm.org/">http://www.iittm.org/</a><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">)</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Ashok Institute of Hospitality & Tourism management, C-12/A, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi-110016 (</span><a href="http://www.itdc-idea.com">www.itdc-idea.com</a><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">).</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Kuoni Academy of Travel, 1001 New Delhi House, 27 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi 110001 Rajasthan Chapter of IITTM at the Institute of Labour Development, 6/2 Jamdoli, Near Keshav Vidyapeeth, Jaipur-302003 (www.ildjpr.org) (</span><a href="http://www.ildjpr.org/">http://www.ildjpr.org/</a><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">).</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Institute of Tourism Management (UP Tourism), MMS Hostel, Moti Mahal, 2 Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226001.</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), Residency Compound, Thycaud P O Thiruvanthapuram- 695014 (www.kittstour.org) (</span><a href="http://www.pondiuni.org/scho.html">www.pondiuni.org/scho.html</a><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">).</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">School of Management Centre for Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry-605014 (</span><a href="http://www.pondiuni.org/scho.html">www.pondiuni.org/scho.html</a><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">).</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Institute of Management Sciences, Lucknow University, Lucknow-226007 (</span><a href="http://www.lu-ims.org/mtm.htm">www.lu-ims.org/mtm.htm</a><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">).</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Garware Institute of Career Education and Development, Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santacruz (E), Mumbai-400098.</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">Sophia-Shree Basant Kumar Somani Memorial Polytechnic, B D Road, Mumbai-400026 (www.sophiacampus.com) (</span><a href="http://www.sophiacampus.com/">http://www.sophiacampus.com/</a><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">)</span></div> <div class="Normal" style="" margin-left:18pt="" text-indent:-18pt=""><span style="" font-size:="">• </span><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">IATA/ UFTAA Travel and Tourism training (www.iata.org/ps/training/atc_list_uftaa.htm)</span></div> <div class="Normal"><br /><span style="" font-family:="" arial="" font-size:="">(Indicative listing)</span></div> </div>