Value of IATA Foundation in Travel & Tourism

More than 200 million people work in the business of travel and tourism worldwide. The industry has diverse work structure, not just limited to becoming an Air Hostess. Becoming a Travel Agent is another lucrative option available to the students of this profession. For that, our IATA foundation Course is the key to acquire requisite knowledge and mandatory skills to succeed in the trade.

About IATA Courses in general, it is important to know that from entry-level basics of travel agent to senior management for tour operations or travel agencies, IATA Foundation Courses ensure that your degree is globally recognized by the travel industry.

Who is a travel agent? What is his role in the business? Travel agent is a person who assists clients in making travel arrangement for both holiday/leisure or business purposes. He/She provides quotes in selecting the best value-for-money options and making bookings for accommodation, transport, sightseeing and other travel activities that the client may intend to do.

Also read: What is IATA and Benefits of IATA Certification in Travel Industry

To perform these functions well, IATA Foundation Course is the way to go. There are many benefits of studying IATA Foundation Course to become a travel agent. Here is how the IATA certificate course will benefit you.

• You get an in-depth knowledge of the travel and tourism industry, including the role of technology, ethicalities, importance of satisfying expectations and the roles of professionals in the trade.
• You can improve upon your sales skills and customer service skills so as to judiciously advise clients on where and when to travel, depending on their needs.
• You will be learning about ensuring the best flights for clients, the best tour options and accommodation. You will know how to make sure that clients fulfill all mandatory travel requirements.
• You acquire complete knowledge of the Ticketing and Reservations. You learn various industry terms and codes, international fare pricing, products and services and e-ticketing.
• As a professional, you get acquainted with booking and selling travel products using Global Distribution Systems (GDS) like Amadeus, Abacus, Sabre, or Galileo.
• You can advise customers on visa and passport requirements and can also suggest them several travel insurance options.
• You get to understand the many facilities and services that are available to air passengers during their travel.
• You learn about planning and reserving travel itineraries with the help of standard industry coding.
• You become an expert in selling rail travel, hotel accommodation, car rental, cruises and many pre-packaged tour products.
• Get skilled in providing excellent customer care and building customer loyalty.

Read more: HOW IATA COURSE CHANGED MY LIFE

Cabin Crew: How to Prepare for the Interview!

Cracking an interview always seems a tad difficult task, no matter which profession you may choose. Cabin Crew is no different. It is quite a challenging and demanding profession. Therefore, every interviewer wants to make sure that only the best talent enters the industry.

When I went in for my interview process, I also went with some preconceived notions about the whole process. My friends who were working in the same industry had prepared me to an extent for some quick answers to the tricky questions I may have to face.

But what happened with me during the process is what every aspiring individual should expect. There were hardly one or two questions that were the same for which I had prepared. Rest all were very unique and tricky, and some plain explanatory!

Also read: A Quest Across the Globe- The Rewards of Working as a Cabin Crew Member

I was fortunate that I could answer, if not all, most of the questions quite to my heart’s content. Though initially there was a moment when I felt like I have lost the game, but I managed to do well. How? It is because of all the preparation I had done for my interview. I may not have been asked exactly the same questions that I had prepared for, but because of that preparation, I was well informed about the complete functioning of the cabin crew industry.

So, those of you who want to be aspirants out there, if you are nervous about the interview you have to face, here are a few tips for you to keep in mind.

1. Be confident, be original!

I know! I know! It may sound too cliché but not without a reason. Right from the moment you enter the interview room till the time you leave it, your confidence will be the first thing the interviewers will notice. Trust me, they are on that side of the table for a reason, and they have the uncanny ability to see through your sham. So, just try to be you and have full faith in your abilities.

2. Be well prepared!

Needless to say, but very important. Be the knowledgeable you, be the well-informed you when you go for the interview. Read all about the travel and tourism industry and the current affairs and the GK to brush up your knowledge. Learn the technical terms, know all about the job profile of a cabin crew, what they do, how they do, the perks of the profession and the challenged faced by them. This will present you in a good light, as it means you know what you are getting into.

Also read: Career Choices after 12th- How Can Aviation, Travel, and Hospitality Give You a Successful Profession?

3. Let your personality shine through!

This interview is your platform to rise and shine for the life you have always dreamt of. Let your complete personality come to the forefront. Hold back on nothing, fear nothing, just let the interview board get a glimpse of your persona, your go-getting attitude, your resilience, etc. Open yourself to thousands of opportunities by just opening yourself well.

4. Brush up your communication skills!

This profession is a customer service dominated one that requires you to interact with passengers at every level. So, communication is the key to build relationships, on which this industry survives. Brush up your English-speaking skills, the fluency, the way you speak should be polite and clear. The impression you leave with your speaking ability will stand you in good lead always.

No one can exactly tell you what questions you will face during your interview, but whatever you are asked just keep the above points in mind.

There is no force on the earth that will stop you from reaching the sky and fulfilling your dreams. Have faith, work hard, and try harder. The world shall be your oyster!

Good Luck!

(Inputs by former Cabin Crew member with an international airline)

Read more: Become A Star Cabin Crew In Just 10 Months – Skylark Institute of Travel

A Definite Guide to Allay Your Dilemma: ‘Aviation and Tourism Management’ or ‘Travel and Tourism Management’

Most aspiring travel professionals often conflate the two distinct courses. There is a beeline between the two and it is often overlooked. Here’s the definitive guide to choosing the ideal course to fulfilling your dream to become a rockstar travel professional.

Holistically speaking, tourism encapsulates aviation. Both of them overlap at most occasions. In simple words, tourism manager must be a jack of all trade. He/she must be fluent in conversing with people from varied background, solve problems quickly and willing to burn the candles at both ends.

Aviation management entails a curriculum that makes its student fundamentally sound when it comes to airline and airport. At a cellular level, you’ll be responsible for bringing customers and luggage quickly & safely to their destinations.  Similarly, as you move up the curve, you’ll also get the privilege to manage the market position and efficiency of the company.

Well, now that you know the essential difference between the two, let’s dive deeper and look at what you should be conversant with.

Also read: Aviation, Travel and Tourism Jobs in India: Career Options to Explore

How can Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management Benefit You?

A diploma course in travel and tourism management introduces you to the nitty-gritty’s of travel and tourism industry. Along with geographies you’ll learn the mandatorily prescribed IATA codes that are internationally accepted. This makes you globally employable, which means you can get a job anywhere in the world.

After taking a course in travel and tourism management, you’ll have opportunities knocking at your door. From being a ticketing expert to drawing itineraries, or becoming a tour guide or travel attendant, there are endless roles to play.

The course touches on almost every intricacies relating to the world of travel and tourism.

Following is the kind of curriculum that you’ll learn in the travel & tourism course:

• Intro to Travel &Tourism
• Introduction to IATA
• World Geography & IATA City Codes
• Flight Booking & PNR Creation
• Automated/ E-Ticketing
• Airline Ticketing and CRS
• Air Fares and Ticketing: Fare constructions, Identifying and pricing of different journeys and checks (including Round Trip & Circle Trip)
• Refund and cancellation procedures
• Itinerary Planning& Customer Service
• Facilitation Management – Passport, Visas & Insurance
• Land Transport – Rail, Road and Sea
• Water Transport – Ferries & Cruises
• Role of Travel Agency/ Tour Operators
• Inbound/ Outbound Tour Operation
• Transport & Accommodation
• Role of Private &Public Sector in Tourism
• Effective Communication skills
• Internship Facilities
• Ground Handling
• Interview Skills

Also read: Indian tourism industry invites additional 10 million travel professionals

Here are few of the roles that you can work in Domestic and International Airlines, Public and Private Sector along with Department of Tourism and State Tourism Offices:

• Reservation Desk Officer
• Airport Check-in Staff
• Overseas Airline Offices
• Travel Agencies and Tour Operators
• Tourist Guides

And, What can you Expect from Aviation & Tourism Management Course?

The world of aviation is open to you once you graduate in aviation and tourism management course. In this course, you’ll get behind the door and look at inner-working of airline and airports. You learn the role and responsibilities of a cabin crew, and how can you become an amazing air-hostess by mastering in-flight services. It’s captivating yet crucial to learn about emergency services and how to offer first –aid to passengers. One of biggest win of aviation and tourism management course is its unrivaled focus on polishing your communication skills. Not only does this skill make you a valuable talent for aviation, but also you’re equally precious for other job avenues such as a call centre operator or Hospitality industry or even tour guide or interpreter.

Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll learn in aviation and tourism management course in Skylark:

• Introduction to Aviation Industry
• Roles & Responsibilities of Cabin Crew
• In-Flight Services
• First Aid & Emergencies
• Professional Grooming
• Personality Development
• Communication and Soft Skills
• Grievance Handling
• Ground Handling Services
• Intro to GDS – Galileo
• Introduction to Hospitality
• Customer Service and Relationship
• Additional Practical Training and Exposure

Once you graduate from this course, you can find several roles to fill. Opportunities are more in line with airline companies and airports, but definitely not restricted because of the wider scope that is envisioned within the module. Look below to find the areas that you can enter after you complete this course.

• Airhostess & Flight Steward
• Airline Handling
• Travel Agencies
• Tour Operators
• Hospitality
• Cruise
• International Tourism Board
• Ground Handling

At Skylark, one of the best travel institutes in Delhi, you get an opportunity to intern with some of the renowned brands of the tourism economy. By doing this, you get a chance to get your feet wet. Your career gets a kick-start by experiencing real-life challenges in an internship program.

At the end of every course, you’ll cover all bases through mock interviews. The curriculum at skylark is truly a recipe for success and you’ll pat yourself in the back once you graduate from here.

Read more: Why Choose Skylark Travel & Tourism Course?

Why is hands-on training a mandate in tourism industry?

Travel and tourism courses are applied sciences, which mean book-learning alone does not fully suffice to becoming a well-rounded professional. It is impertinent that a fellow learner is taken to the street and learns by getting his hands dirty.
Many students who enter the avenue don’t understand the mechanism on how the industry operates. Sometimes the course does not offer the right amount of practical learning, or the travel institute is not fully equipped to offer a platform for experiential learning.
In your journey to becoming a high-performing travel specialist, you should leave no stones unturned in finding the best travel and tourism institute in Delhi that offers the right mix of academic learning and industry-exposure.

So, keep your eyes open when you’re shopping for a course, and an institute that provides you with an unparallel learning ambiance that will instantly launch your career into a higher ground. Here are the reasons why practical learning is the life-blood of the tourism industry.

Also read: What Are Your Options after a Tourism Diploma?

1) Feel the pulse of the industry – Many short term courses in travel and tourism pivots around only academic learning is doomed by design. If you aren’t learning from the school of hard-knocks, then you may as well not learn anything at all. Being the fast-changing business travel industry is, your active involvement at the onset of your learning will make you better equipped from the get-go of your professional life.

2) You acquire skills by doing – No amount of regurgitation or visual learning can supersede the advantage born out of hands-on training. At Skylark Institute of Travel, emphasize is laid on the act of involvement rather than passive participation. It does not cut corners with curriculum and ensure the every student is put through an internship to make him/her industry-ready.

3) You find your calling – This is true for almost every profession but sits particularly well within the travel and tourism industry. There is a plethora of roles that you can take up once you complete this course. Sometimes you’ll be spoilt of choice, which can be overwhelming and paralyzing at the same time. As you test the shallow waters before the completion of the course, you find your true calling or your place in the tourism business.

Also read: Indian tourism industry invites additional 10 million travel professionals

4) Mistakes are your teacher – You learn when you do. Like a child who crawls, stumbles and staggers, before he eventually learn how to run. In a similar fashion, when you enter the tourism industry, you learn faster when you make mistakes by becoming a cog in the machine.

5) Widens your professional network – Network is how well are you connected within the tourism matrix. There is a book famously titled “Your network is your net-worth” and it cannot be true. When you’ve an expansive network, it gives you a cushion to fall back to and helps you find hidden job opportunities that don’t surface on public forum.

Not many institute offer courses that balance academic learning and practical experience. When you enroll for a diploma in tour and travel management, make sure you rank internship and practical learning as one of your top priority.

Read more: Why Choose Skylark Travel & Tourism Course?

IATA Foundation Course – Must for Aviation and Travel Industry Professionals

For anyone who is looking for carve a name in the travel industry, it is mandatory to enroll into an IATA Training Program. IATA courses are recognized worldwide and are one of most coveted course by travel professionals. It offers opportunities to become a high-powered travel professional in a travel company or an entrepreneur who blazes their own path.

In order to offer a clearly-defined direction towards success, IATA Foundation course was started by IATA. The course puts the student through a rigorous 4 months of coaching.

Also read: What is IATA and Benefits of IATA Certification in Travel Industry

Here’s all the information you need about the structure and scope of IATA Foundation course:

1. The pre-requisite to putting your foot into the door of an IATA foundation course is minimal. A 10+12 certificate is your ticket into an IATA training institute.
2. IATA certificate is recognized globally and offer job opportunities everywhere. For a student who is certified in India, can work locally or globally.
3. It spans across 4 months of duration and it instills out-of-the-box thinking and builds a rock-solid foundation. An ideal IATA training institute will teach you tricks of the trade and how to quickly rise to the top by teaching crystallized travel knowledge.
4. IATA Foundation course helps a student transform from an amateur into a sought-after travel consultant. You’ll learn the nuts and bolts of the industry. A slew of cutting-edge module offers training in customer service, ticketing, software management, advice in travel-document management and many more that makes you the go-to professional for any passenger be it Corporate or Personal client.
5. It is wise to opt for the Best IATA training institute in Delhi in order to learn every single module envisioned under IATA foundation course and qualify the exam with flying colors.
6. This course is ideal for any student who wishes to break into the travel industry and for any experienced professional who wishes to make a transition to travel and aviation industry. There is no age bar for interested aspirants.

Extensive learning about Geography will be a critical part of the IATA foundation course. What separates the Best IATA training institute in Delhi is training methodology involved. A module that encapsulates visual learning makes it easier to memorize and retain the geographical location. By leveraging the geographical knowledge, an IATA foundation course graduate will learn how to sell & draw an awesome travel itinerary.

Additionally, you get to understand the validity and implications of various travel documents like Visa, Passport and Travel insurance. Along with documents come the learning of industry codes and terminology.

Scope of IATA foundation course has widened over the years and it has opened doors to multiple opportunities. Many students who have graduated have become travel experts working with top travel brands. It is extremely crucial that you look for the best IATA training institute in Delhi because it is life-changing decision.  Learn from an institute that is invested in your success as much as you.

Read more: Value of IATA Foundation in Travel & Tourism

Why is hands-on training a mandate in tourism industry?

Travel and tourism courses are applied sciences, which mean book-learning alone does not fully suffice to becoming a well-rounded professional. It is impertinent that a fellow learner is taken to the street and learns by getting his hands dirty.
Many students who enter the avenue don’t understand the mechanism on how the industry operates. Sometimes the course does not offer the right amount of practical learning, or the travel institute is not fully equipped to offer a platform for experiential learning.
In your journey to becoming a high-performing travel specialist, you should leave no stones unturned in finding the best travel and tourism institute in Delhi that offers the right mix of academic learning and industry-exposure.

So, keep your eyes open when you’re shopping for a course, and an institute that provides you with an unparallel learning ambiance that will instantly launch your career into a higher ground. Here are the reasons why practical learning is the life-blood of the tourism industry.

Also read: What Are Your Options after a Tourism Diploma?

1) Feel the pulse of the industry – Many short term courses in travel and tourism pivots around only academic learning is doomed by design. If you aren’t learning from the school of hard-knocks, then you may as well not learn anything at all. Being the fast-changing business travel industry is, your active involvement at the onset of your learning will make you better equipped from the get-go of your professional life.

2) You acquire skills by doing – No amount of regurgitation or visual learning can supersede the advantage born out of hands-on training. At Skylark Institute of Travel, emphasize is laid on the act of involvement rather than passive participation. It does not cut corners with curriculum and ensure the every student is put through an internship to make him/her industry-ready.

3) You find your calling – This is true for almost every profession but sits particularly well within the travel and tourism industry. There is a plethora of roles that you can take up once you complete this course. Sometimes you’ll be spoilt of choice, which can be overwhelming and paralyzing at the same time. As you test the shallow waters before the completion of the course, you find your true calling or your place in the tourism business.

Also read: Indian tourism industry invites additional 10 million travel professionals

4) Mistakes are your teacher – You learn when you do. Like a child who crawls, stumbles and staggers, before he eventually learn how to run. In a similar fashion, when you enter the tourism industry, you learn faster when you make mistakes by becoming a cog in the machine.

5) Widens your professional network – Network is how well are you connected within the tourism matrix. There is a book famously titled “Your network is your net-worth” and it cannot be true. When you’ve an expansive network, it gives you a cushion to fall back to and helps you find hidden job opportunities that don’t surface on public forum.

Not many institute offer courses that balance academic learning and practical experience. When you enroll for a diploma in tour and travel management, make sure you rank internship and practical learning as one of your top priority.

Read more: Why Choose Skylark Travel & Tourism Course?

Top 10 Reasons To Follow The Coat-Tail Of Travel Industry

Tourism industry is attracts millions of aspirants each year, and also makes each aspirant’s dream come true. One of the industries that do not show signs of ever slowing down is bound to make you a successful professional with the least amount of toil. An IATA training program has been proven to double up your speed of growth in tourism.

At this point, apart from the tremendous amount of success, there are dozen other reasons that should get you excited to join this industry. As you continue reading, you’ll know what exactly you’re missing by not working with Tourism Company.

1) Get a rolling start in your career

Almost every third person in his career starts in travel and tourism sector. Although not a pre-requisite but an IATA course can help you turbo-charge your way up the learning curve. There is no reason not to learn the tricks to trade here because of most of what you learn here is directly applicable to other businesses too. You start-off easily because of gaping vacancies, and also instantly elevate to a higher position.

Also read: In Pursuit of an Esteemed Profession? How about the Travel & Tourism Industry

2) You’ll be served variety of choices

Not every professional has the liberty to make choices in his/her career uprise. As a travel industry expert and because of the limitless IATA course job opportunities, you can venture into completely alternate paths to success by weighting the pros and cons. By taking decisions along the way, you may choose the path of least resistance and get the highest growth.

3) Experience different light and shades of life

By traveling around the world, you get to witness the life in its truest essence. From being able to groove to urban lifestyle or lending a helping hand in rural landscape, the variety of experience is unparalleled and is second to none.

4) Meet interesting folks along the way

Not only you meet people who share the same passion as you, but also encounter people from different walks of life. It completely alters your perspective on life and shakes you from the core. You’ll rarely seep into monotony and almost never encounter identical days in your work-life.

5) Make money by traveling

This point barely scratches the surface. Although most of the aspirants enter the world of travel because of the incredible compensation it offers to professionals for globe-trotting. It should be the least of the priority, but nevertheless many have found colossal volume of fortune by traveling the world.

Also read: The Intense Nature of Travel-Technology Landscape- Future of Aviation industry in India Will be Amazing

6) Put a smile on people’s face (become a rockstar)

As a travel specialist, you get to design holiday packages of your customers or attend a guest at a hotel or a passenger in a flight, when you go the extra-mile to make them comfortable, you’ll definitely put a smile on their face. It is extremely contagious and you’re bound to be happy yourself when you spread happiness.

7) You can be your own boss –

What’s better than building your own empire? As a graduate in travel & tourism courses, you can float your very own business. If you’re fluent in French, German, English or Chinese, you’re already one step closer to becoming an independent tourist guide. Alternatively, by completing a diploma in travel and tourism, you will graced with choices to either start a car-rental business, hotel and lodging conveniences, Restaurant or that of a Ticketing expert.

8) You acquire transferable skills –

Do you think the expertise of a doctor can be used elsewhere? What about engineers who code? You’re right! These professionals are specialized to their own disadvantage. Unlike travel professionals, where the skills like-organizing, soft-skills, time management and problem solving can be applied in other businesses too. That means if you wish to enter into hospitality, you’ll be welcomed there. Alternative career options like Call center executive, translator and many other can be easily broken into with the skills acquired in the travel industry.

9) Say NO to tediously long wait-time for vacations –

Unlike other white-collared employees, a travel specialist does not have to wait for a year to travel around the world. In other businesses, you’ll have to wait till your bones turn dry to take a trip. You’ll be over the moon because everyday resembles a vacation in this business.

10) Become a problem-solver (A super-hero) –

In your stint with the travel business, you’ll encounter challenges in all shapes and forms. Many travel professionals report the problems they encounter resembles the thrill of playing an outdoor sport. It is an exhilarating experience that keeps you on your toe and turns you into an efficient problem solver.

Although, we’ve been told otherwise all our lives, the gratification from travel industry is unrivaled. With the changing times, travel industry is no longer a part-time hobby but a gold-mine for professionals. There never will be a better time nor a reason (apart from ones you’ve just read) to become a travel expert. Let your dreams take shape, and travel the world for a living.

Read more: What is IATA and Benefits of IATA Certification in Travel Industry