Tourism industry rebounds with hiring demand spike in August
India's travel and tourism industry has made an impressive comeback, witnessing a 44% annual increase in talent demand in August this year, according to a report by talent platform foundit. This growth follows a significant decline in job postings during the COVID-19 pandemic and is driven by the government's initiatives focused on infrastructural development as well as heritage promotion.
Pandemic impact and recovery timeline
The Indian travel and tourism sector experienced robust growth of 16% in 2019 before facing severe challenges due to lockdowns and travel restrictions. Job postings declined by 47% in 2020 and a further 27% in 2021. However, the industry began recovering with a modest 3% increase in hiring in 2022, leading to this year's significant rebound, attributed to rising disposable incomes and increased spending on leisure and business travel.
Top cities for job postings in 2023
Jaipur (34%), Ahmedabad (33%), and Chandigarh (33%) reported the highest rise in job postings in the travel and tourism sector on a year-on-year basis. They were followed by Vadodara (25%) and Coimbatore (25%) in August 2023 vs August 2022. Among tier-1 cities, Delhi (34%) saw the maximum increase, followed by Kolkata (21%), Chennai (19%), Hyderabad (8%), and Mumbai (5%). Freshers or entry-level talent (0-3 years of experience) accounted for 49% of online hiring intent.
Salary trends in the sector
The average minimum salaries range from Rs. 2,88,696 to Rs. 5,80,234 for freshers. For the intermediate level, the salaries are in the range of Rs. 5,29,516 to Rs. 8,20,734. For mid-senior roles in the travel and tourism sector, the sums range from Rs. 8,70,833 to Rs. 14,11,556. Finally, for the management professionals in this sector, the average minimum salary is Rs. 12,19,515 and the average maximum is Rs. 18,55,291, respectively as per the foundit report.
Gig economy and in-demand job roles
Companies have started adopting the gig model to overcome talent deficits and meet growing tourist demand. The foundit report shows a 14% growth in gig roles since January 2023. The top job roles in demand across the travel and tourism industry include sales & business development (23% of total demand), followed by software and electrical engineers (12%).
