Career in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality for Language Learners

Foreign Language skills open up plenty of specialist career path including Career in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality for language learners.

Still wondering “Why learn another language?” With the world becoming a single global village, proficiency in the foreign language is a great-value add to your C.V. as the career options in foreign languages are infinite and ever-growing.

The Hotel, Leisure, Entertainment, Hospitality, Travel and Tourism sector are one of the largest, and fastest growing, sector of the domestic and global economies. The foreign language is a definite conduct and advantage for all looking into Travel and Hospitality as a future career. The career options in Tourism, Travel and Hospitality for language learners continues to be very robust and seamlessly increasing.

Why Choose Travel, Tourism & Hospitality as a Career?

The Indian tourism industry is growing at a phenomenal pace. The travel, tourism, and hospitality industry in India is one that’s rich in culture, heritage, and geographical diversity. Mountains, forest, beach, desert, historical monuments, religious sites, old towns, and modern cities — just name it — India has it all. No wonder the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry contribute the greater part to the Indian economy.

There is a high level of growth in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry in India, and from all indications, it is clear that this trend will continue for many years to come. By 2025, it is estimated that the travel, tourism and hospitality industry will produce more than 46 million job opportunities. As per IBEF, The Government of India has set a target of 20 million foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) by 2020 and likely to grow to $48 billion by 2020 according to BW. The Indian government has also taken concrete steps, establishing sound initiatives to improve the structure and promote efficiency in the industry.

There is a great career opportunity for language learners in the tourism, travel, hotel, leisure, entertainment and hospitality industry. The sector ranks at number 7 in the world, regarding its contribution to the country’s GDP, based on a report released by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). It is noteworthy that India’s Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality sector will support about 37.316 million jobs, standing at 8.7% of the entire employment force in India.

Importance of Foreign Languages in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), travel and tourism accounts for 8% of the world’s jobs and has the highest potential for growth of any industry. By 2028, Travel & Tourism is forecast to support 11.6% of total employment.

Millions of foreigners visit India as tourists every year. Of many tourists that travels, it is likely that they may not excel in the language of the foreign country that they are traveling to. The Foreign language skills can be utilized in the industry to assist the foreign traveler, communicate with them and employees in the those countries and to work abroad. You can decide to work and act as a guide for these tourists.

With your knowledge in foreign language, you might just be the customer service staff they need. Your multilingual credentials can get you hired just about anywhere that has to do with clients and customers of foreign origin. The proficiency is a basic prerequisite for successful communication in the tourism industry. Most companies prefer employees know at least one foreign language apart from English.

Career Options in Tourism industry for Language Experts

The industry offers an array of divers jobs to aspiring professionals. There are a wide range of foreign language jobs in India available in a variety of sectors including Travel Agencies, Visitor Information Centres, Events and Tourism Services, guide, travel consultant, tour operator, customer service at domestic and international airports, customer ground handling at airports, airfare & ticketing officer, event manager, adventure tourism expert, holiday consultant, transport officer, Cruise Ship Jobs, logistics, Flight attendant, Travel writer, photographer, tourism departments, Immigration officers / specialist and hotels & resorts in private and government sectors.

Where to find Jobs?

Government department of tourism, major MNCs, custom and immigration services, 5-star and mid-range hotels, resorts & suites, shopping malls, parks and recreation centers, spa and wellness management, airlines, cruises and other transportation, leisure, recreation and sports management, travel agents and more, constitute the major employers in this sector. You cannot afford to mix out on such vast career opportunities.

How to Become a Foreign Language Tour Guide in India?

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, grants licences to guides on a regional basis after fulfilling required conditions. The fourth category is Expert – Linguistic. Apart from English, Those fluent in French, German, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Japanese, Thai, Arabic, Hungarian, Polish, Hebrew, Chinese etc., as identified by the Ministry from time to time would be approved under this category. The fluency shall be tested at the time of written examination which shall be given in the foreign language selected by the candidate for which he or she aspires to become a linguistic guide.

Creative, Flexibility, Fun, and Opportunity to Travel

The jobs in this industry are fun, vibrant, and always interesting. Not all jobs are 9 to 5 and you will also find a plethora of emerging profession across the sector, namely travel blogger, interpreter, translator, head chef, photographer, Adventure Tour Guide, and many more. initially, Jobs are not high paying like other industries. However, jobs in travel and tourism provide workers with an enjoyable atmosphere, flexible hours and opportunities to meet new people all the time.

You will able to travel while you earn a living, whether locally, nationally or internationally located. In addition, you also get plenty of opportunities to travel and see the world. What can be more exciting than coming to work every day and meeting people from all over the world who are on holiday?

Read — (i) Career in Translation and Interpretation (ii) Language Jobs in BPO, KPO and MNC (iii) Career Scope for Language Teachers (iv) Job Opportunities in Export and Import Industry (v) Foreign Language Jobs in Embassy (vi) Career in Languages After 12th

Certificate Types and Requirements

If you want to make a career in the broad spectrum of Travel and sector, at least aim for Intermediate level in the corresponding languages. B1 or B2 in Zertifikat Deutsch (German), CILS or CELI (Italian language test), DELE (Spanish), or DELF/DALF French language proficiency test, Mandarin Chinese Level III or IV in HSK Exam in India, Japanese N3 or N2 in JLPT exam in India, TOPIK Level 3 or 4 in Korean Language Proficiency test.

Advanced Diploma or higher proficiency in the same language are also accepted in most organizations. Knowledge about historical sites, history, tourist destination, culture and customs are added advantage.

Salary Package and Remuneration in Travel and Tourism

In Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industry, The Salaries for foreign language experts are pretty good. It rises further if you are working in the International market. Moreover, you get added perks such as free travel or reduced rates for you and your family. Peak seasons might bring added bonuses, incentives, commission and other perks.

The Best Foreign Languages in the Travel and Tourism Industry

Multilingual services play an essential role in the field of travel and tourism. After English, French, Spanish, German, Mandarin and Japanese seem to be the most useful languages in the tourism industry. Over the past few years, tourists from China and German-speaking countries have increasingly become active all over the country. Thus mastering these language has become a priority for those who are associated with this sector. The demand for Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, etc. are also on rising since ten thousands of people from Russia, Israel, Middle-East, etc. visit India as tourists.

Read — (i) Benefits of Learning Spanish (ii) Advantages of Learning French (iii) Why Learn Japanese? (iv) Scope of German Language (v) Career in Mandarin Chinese (vi) Reasons to Learn Arabic (vii) Future of Russian Language (viii) Best Foreign Languages for Jobs (ix) Advantages of Learning a Foreign Language

Conclusion

Providing opportunities to showcase India and Indian culture, food, customs, history, traditions and heritage, on the world stage are all vital ingredients to the success of the tourism industry. As a vast, dynamic, vibrant, lively, and growing industry, career in travel, tourism and hospitality for language learners provides a tremendous opportunity for ambitious candidates who enjoy working with people.