Article: Indian Travel & Tourism: Surging job opportunities

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Indian Travel & Tourism: Surging job opportunities

By adding approximately 10 million jobs to its economy by 2028, India is forecasted to be among the world’s fastest-growing tourism economies in the years to come. India emerged as one of the rising stars, according to the recently released 2018 WTTC Economic Impact Research.
Indian Travel & Tourism: Surging job opportunities

Travel and Tourism ensuring a better future for all

India’s travel and tourism sector are poised to clock rapid strides of growth and create more job opportunities in the near future, thus playing a pivotal role in determining the country’s socio-economic fabric. The burgeoning momentum of the industry is being further catalysed by an increasing number of domestic and international travellers, fuelled by rising disposable income and the emergence of new travel destinations and trends. Trends such as weekend staycations, religious tourism and the foray of major hospitality brands, besides the rise of Tier II and Tier III destinations along with other related facilities are surely major enablers for the tourism industry, which in turn would open the floodgates of future employment for many.  The recent incentives from the Government in terms of corporate tax relief coupled with the GST cuts are a vital cog in the wheel. They clearly aim to fuel expansion for the tourism and hospitality industry, thereby creating more opportunities for employment.

According to estimates by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), travel and tourism in India supported 41 million jobs and contributed to 10.4% of the global GDP in 2017. Moreover, by 2028, it is expected to support 400 million jobs globally, with India alone expected to add 10 million jobs in the travel and tourism space. These figures are self-explanatory of the fact that there is no shortfall for jobs in this industry across the country.

The development of infrastructure, highways, roads, new flights, sea travel options have successfully established India as a stellar tourist destination, by boosting road, railways, air and sea travel. Furthermore, the Government has played a significant role in boosting the travel and tourism sector in India by launching various schemes like Swadesh Darshan scheme launched by the Ministry of Tourism in 2015 and the National Mission for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme. To guide tourists visiting India, the government has also launched a mobile app and an Incredible India helpline

The tourism sector remains extremely dependent on human resources. With the surge across all ancillary sectors, including those related to bookings, flights, accommodation, experiences etc, the opportunities are bound to increase. Initially, job creation in this sector was restricted to urban parts of the country, however, as travellers are now exploring the less travelled parts of the country and even navigating through the much unexplored rural hinterlands and semi-urban areas, employment opportunities in the tourism and hospitality space are expected to shoot up beyond the confines of urban India.

Need to address the skilling gap

With the travel sector becoming increasingly digitised and technology-centric, the need for skilled employees is growing with each passing day. The need to keep abreast of the latest industry developments in the industry is almost mandatory. While the Ministry of Tourism has a target of training five million people by 2022 and is making good progress in this regard, public-private collaborations can go a long way in nurturing talent and ensuring a strong pipeline for the industry’s future.

On a brighter note

The travel and tourism space at large, including the hospitality sector, has created immense job opportunities for millions of people in the across different verticals such as accommodation, food and beverage, cultural attractions (festivals, carnivals, conferences, trade shows, and exhibitions) and so on. The real challenge is to sustain this growth rate and ensure further development which is where the industry needs to come together and create a strong ecosystem to nurture and foster quality talent.

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Topics: Life @ Work, #GuestArticle, #Jobs

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