Travel & Tourism Distance Education Courses in India

Last Updated on July 30, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Are you passionate about travel and tourism sector? Do you want to build a decent career in this sector? If yes, this post will be of help to you. Here, I’ve compiled a list of distance education programs related to travel and tourism sector.

In this post, readers will find the following details – list of top travel and tourism (distance education) courses, details about the course (duration, eligibility, fees, syllabus etc), admission process and more. In short, this post contains all the important details that you need to know about distance education travel and tourism programs in India.

 

Travel and tourism forms an integral part of the hospitality industry. This sector is growing at a healthy pace in India. In other words, this sector is all set to generate ample amount of job opportunities.

 

Travel and tourism industry needs dynamic individuals to take care of responsibilities and job profiles such as – manager, chef, customer service specialist, marketing specialist etc. Come, let us take a close look at travel and tourism sector.

 

What is travel and tourism all about? What is it like to work in this sector? What kind of jobs are available in this sector? You will find answers to these questions in the next section. Let us start –

 

Travel and Tourism: Basic Details

People travel for different reasons. Work, pleasure, attending family events – these are some of the main reasons why we travel. The travel industry employs different types of people. In other words, this sector offers a wide variety of job profiles! Consider a bus-driver as an example. He/she forms a part of the travel industry. Similarly, an air hostess or flight steward is also a part of this sector! In short, the travel sector generates ample amount of job opportunities each year.

 

Let us talk about tourism now. Tourism sector is a valuable source of income for the country. In India, many states rely on tourism as a major source of income. This sector offers the government a steady stream of income.

 

In India, there exists many destinations, which are quite popular among Indian and international travelers. Tourism industry has a huge impact on the economy. Hotels, travel agencies, local shops, restaurants, ticket booking centers, local tour guides – different set of establishments and individuals rely on tourism industry for their livelihood.

 

Let us consider the example of Goa. For Goa, tourism is one of the major sources of income. A lot of establishments in Goa rely on tourism to generate cash-flow. Hotels, resorts, restaurants, cafes – they are some such well known establishments that rely on tourism. Home-stays, PG setups, vehicle renting services, small stalls and shops, local tiffin/food services, local guides – even they are known to rely on tourism.

 

In short, tourism sector employs a large number of people (directly or indirectly). Come, let us check out the list of travel and tourism distance education programs now. Here it is –

 

Travel & Tourism distance education courses in India

 

1 Master of Tourism and Travel Management

Name of the course:	MTTM
Duration:	2 years
Eligibility criteria:	Completed relevant Bachelor’s Degree course
Syllabus:	Basics of management, HR management, finance management, accounting, marketing, sales, operations management, tourism planning, transport operations, tourism products etc

 

This course is well known as MTTM. It is a Master’s Degree course. Candidates who have passed relevant Bachelor’s Degree course are eligible to pursue MTTM course.

 

The course is two years long. The program deals with topics such as – management education (personnel, material, finance, operations etc), tourism-specific subjects (products, marketing, sales, services etc), communication skills and personality development.

 

This program has been crafted keeping the needs of graduates in mind. If you are interested in travel and tourism sector, you may pursue this course after completing graduation.

 

2 M.Sc. Hospitality Administration

Name of the course:	M.Sc. HA
Duration:	2 years
Eligibility criteria:	Completed relevant B.Sc. course OR completed BHM course
Syllabus:	Basics of management, HR management, finance management, accounting, marketing, sales, operations management, tourism planning, transport operations, tourism products etc

 

This course is well known as M.Sc. HA. It is a Master of Science course. The course is two years long.

 

Candidates who have completed relevant B.Sc. course (like hospitality or hotel management) are eligible to pursue this course. Apart from that, candidates who have completed BHM program are also eligible to pursue this course. Even Bachelor’s Degree holders (any discipline) who have also completed Diploma in Hotel Management course may pursue this course.

 

3 PG Diploma in Hotel Operation

Name of the course:	PGDHO
Duration:	1 year
Eligibility criteria:	Completed Bachelor’s Degree (any discipline)
Syllabus:	Basics of tourism industry, food production, front office operations, food and beverages, housekeeping operations, computer application, HR management, operations management, finance management etc

 

This course is well known as PGDHO. The course is one year long. Candidates who have completed Bachelor’s Degree education (any discipline) are eligible to pursue this course.

 

It is a postgraduate level Diploma course. The program primarily deals with hotel operations, management, customer service practices, communication skills and personality development.

 

4 BA Tourism Studies

Name of the course:	BA TS
Duration:	3 years
Eligibility criteria:	Completed 12th standard or equivalent qualification
Syllabus:	Basics of tourism industry, tourism products, tourism sales, customer services, hospitality etc

 

This program is well known as BA TS or BTS. It is a Bachelor’s Degree course. To be precise, it is a Bachelor of Arts (BA) course. Looking from academic level’s point of view, it is an undergraduate level course.

 

Candidates who have passed 12th class are eligible to pursue this course. The course is three years long. After completing this course, a candidate will obtain BA Degree in Travel and Tourism.

 

5 B.Sc. Hospitality and Hotel Administration

Name of the course:	B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration
Duration:	3 years
Eligibility criteria:	Completed 12th standard or equivalent qualification
Syllabus:	Basics of tourism industry, tourism products, tourism sales, customer services, hospitality etc

 

It is an undergraduate level course. Let us talk about the format of the course now. It is a B.Sc. (Bachelor of Science) course. Candidates who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. The course duration is three years. The program deals with subjects related to the tourism industry and management techniques.

 

6 Diploma in Tourism Studies

Name of the course:	DTS
Duration:	1 year
Eligibility criteria:	Passed 12th standard or equivalent qualification
Syllabus:	Basics of tourism, management techniques, tourism marketing, tourism products, tourism sales, tourism operations and development

 

It is a Diploma program. Candidates who have passed 12th class are eligible to pursue this course. The course duration is one year. As the name suggests, this diploma program deals with topics such as – tourism sales, products, services, customer service, management techniques etc.

 

7 Certificate in Housekeeping Operations

Name of the course:	CHO
Duration:	6 months
Eligibility criteria:	Passed 12th standard or equivalent
Syllabus:	Housekeeping operations, personality development, communication skills, practical work etc

 

It is a certification program. Candidates who have passed 12th class are eligible to pursue this course. The course is six months long. It is a short-term training program.

 

8 Certificate in Front Office Operations

Name of the course:	CFO
Duration:	6 months
Eligibility criteria:	Passed 12th standard or equivalent
Syllabus:	Front office operations, communication skills, personality development, personal hygiene and grooming, practical work etc

 

As the name suggests, this program deals with front office operations. It is a certification program. The course duration is six months. Candidates who have passed 12th class are eligible to pursue this course.

 

9 Certificate in Tourism Studies

Name of the course:	CTS
Duration:	6 months
Eligibility criteria:	Passed 12th standard or equivalent
Syllabus:	Basics of tourism industry, communication skills, personality development etc

 

It is a certification program. The course is six months long. Candidates who have passed 12th class are eligible to pursue this course. This program deals with the basics/foundation of tourism sector.

 

Distance education colleges/universities

• IGNOU
• Annamalai University
• Mahatma Gandhi University
• Punjab Technical University
• Patna University
• Nalanda Open University
• Karnataka State Open University
• Amity University
• Periyar University
• NS Open University

 

Admission process

Admission process may vary from one institute to another. Most of the reputed institutes follow merit based admission process. On the other hand, some institutes/universities carry out direct admission process (first come, first served process). Some other institutes have donation based admission system too.

 

Fees

Tuition fees depends upon factors such as – type of college, scholarship status of the candidate, rating of the college, location of the college etc. Average tuition fee is as follows –

• MTTM: 10-90K INR.
• M.Sc. HA: 10-120K INR
• PGDHO: 10-75K INR.
• BA TS: 10-90K INR.
• B.Sc. HHA: 10-90K INR.
• DTS: 10-45K INR
• CHO: 5-15K INR.
• CFO: 5-15K INR.
• CTS: 5-15K INR.

 

Career prospects

Travel and tourism sector generates ample amount of job opportunities each year. It is a vast domain. A wide variety of job profiles and opportunities exist in this sector. Here are some of the notable recruiters –

• Tour operators
• Airlines
• Hotels
• Resorts
• Spas
• Hospitality chains
• Restaurants