India’s Travel & Tourism Boom: Projections Show 58 Million New Jobs by 2033

Driven by India becoming one of the top travel destinations in the world, the travel and tourism ecosystem in India has registered a remarkable growth after the pandemic. Serving as a crucial source of trade, travel and tourism contributed Rs.15.9 trillion (US$191.25 billion) to India’s economy in 2022 and was estimated to be Rs 16.5 trillion by 2023, said the latest assessment from talent solutions provider NLB Services. .

The growing synergy of the sector has led to steady job generation across the country in both Tier I and Tier II locations, added NLB Services.

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Jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic

NLB Services said that in the pandemic year 2020, the tourism sector accounted for 39 million jobs, which constituted 8% of the nation’s total workforce.

After the pandemic recovery continued, this sector was one of the sectors that saw the fastest recovery. Incidentally, the demand for talent in tourism recorded a peak of 44% in August 2023, and 1.6 million additional jobs were expected to be added in CY 2023.

With continued growth momentum, the travel and tourism sector is poised to add 58.2 million jobs by 2033 across the country, he added.

Growth centers

From a location perspective, the top five states attracting domestic tourists so far include Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The top cities driving the increase in hiring include Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Kochi. In tier 2 cities, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh.

In the next 9 years, new jobs are also expected in emerging cities/locations like Gujarat, Lakshadweep and West Bengal.

Top Roles In Demand

Prominent job profiles that will continue to be in demand with the increase of the year include sales (up 18%), business development (up 17%), chefs (up 15%), consultants travel (15% increase), tour operators (15% increase). ) ), travel agents (15% increase), hoteliers (15% increase), guides (20% increase), wildlife experts (12% increase), and transport providers (15% increase), etc.

Looking at the level of experience, by March 2024, 50% of online jobs in the travel and tourism sector were for new or entry-level positions (0-3 years of experience). Mid-level roles (4-6 years of experience) and senior management positions (15+ years of experience) each represent a 30% and 20% share of total demand, respectively.

Trends

The travel and tourism sector is also undergoing massive transformation, with many new sub-groups such as destination honeymoons, religious tourism, international tourism, adventure sports tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism and rural tourism that emerged in the new decade. Another interesting emergence is that of sustainable tourism which has observed a substantial global adoption, with a market value reaching $180 billion, added NLB Services.

Companies are also adopting the gig model to address the talent shortage and meet the growing demand from tourists. Since January 2023, there has been a 14% increase in gig roles in the travel and tourism sector, which includes positions such as translators, photographers and tour guides and this is also expected to increase from 18- 20% in the next 2 years.