Travel & Tourism in India witnesses 4 pc annual jump

Kolkata, Jan 25 (UNI) The Travel and Tourism industry, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic in India, has showed promising revival trends following the decline of the second wave of the pandemic in 2021. Data from the Monster Employment Index indicated that the Indian Tourism industry witnessed a positive year-on-year uptick with a four per cent increase in the demand for talent in December 2021- an optimistic outlook for the sector which continuously exhibited double-digit decline in the previous months. However, the industry marked a one per cent monthly dip in job postings with the advent of the third wave, consequent travel restrictions, and safety norms, according to a media statement here. The industry, which witnessed a steady increase in job postings post the second wave reaching an absolute high in the month of July (with 16 per cent growth), showed a steady state of revival until November 2021. This growth could be attributed to the emergence of revenge travel trends and staycations. As per data from Monster.com, the top job roles in demand across the Travel & Tourism industry included Sales Associates (11%), Chef (8%), and Engineers- Software, Electrical (5%). Job roles such as Travel agents and Housekeeping staff followed close behind. City specific trends for the Travel and Tourism industry indicated that on a month-on-month basis, tier-2 cities such as Chandigarh (9%), Baroda (6%), and Coimbatore (3%) reported maximum increase in job postings standing tall against the waves of pandemic, followed by Pune (2%) (Dec 2021 vs Nov 2021). This could be attributed to the “reverse migration” trend, as young professionals in particular are moving back to their home towns amidst lockdowns and restrictions, in search of a better quality of living. On the contrary, cities such as Hyderabad (-8%), Kochi (-7%), Ahmedabad (-5%), Jaipur (-3%), Delhi (-2%), and Kolkata (-2%) witnessed a decline, followed by Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai which noted a 1% dip in job posting activity, owing to the third wave of the pandemic and the surge in Omicron cases in the country. Year-on-year trends indicate that Chandigarh (25%) emerged as the city with the highest uptick in demand for Travel and Tourism professionals in India, followed by Bangalore (5%) and Kochi (2%). Cities that indicated a downtrend include Kolkata (-19%), Coimbatore (-17%), Jaipur (-4%), Chennai (-3%), and Hyderabad (-3%). Mumbai (-2%), Delhi-NCR (-1%). While Coimbatore, Jaipur, and Hyderabad exhibited a slight uptick in the previous month, demand for talent in the cities have dipped in the last month of 2021. Pune (-1%), and Baroda (-1%) also showed a marginal decline in job posting activity (Dec 2021 vs Dec 2020). As on December 2021, Top Management (over 15 years) professionals held the highest share in online hiring intent for jobs in the Travel and Tourism industry at 47%. Moreover, there was a tremendous surge for Freshers/Entry-level (0-3 years) talent who held the second largest share of 27% across experience levels, followed by Intermediate level (4-6 years) roles with an 11% share. Sekhar Garisa, CEO, Monster.com, a Quess company, said, “The Indian Travel & Tourism industry has truly paved its way to revival in 2021 as compared to the previous year, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. While the new Omicron variant impacted the growth of the sector in December 2021, the industry is expected to account for about 53 million jobs by 2029 as per industry reports. It is also encouraging that the Ministry of Tourism and the Indian government have taken several steps in the past year to strengthen the hospitality and tourism industry in India, helping employers gain momentum in the space. Furthermore, we hope that the upcoming Union Budget 2022 provides incentives for job creation in the Travel industry, in addition to GST relief for business recovery, and increased access to capital at preferential terms of interest for business owners. ”