India Tourism to Add 5.82 Cr Jobs by 2033: NLB Services

Mumbai, Apr 29 (PTI) With a continued growth momentum, the travel and tourism sector is all set to add 5.82 crore jobs across the country by 2033, a top executive of global technology and digital talent solutions provider NLB Services said on Monday.

"The growing synergy of the sector has led to steadfast employment generation across the country both in tier I and II locations. In the pandemic year 2020, the tourism sector accounted for 39 million jobs, constituting 8 per cent of the nation's total workforce. Post the pandemic recovery tenure, this was one of the sectors that saw the quickest recovery," NLB Services CEO Sachin Alug said in a statement.

Incidentally, talent demand in tourism recorded a 44 per cent spike in August 2023, and 1.6 million additional jobs were expected to be added in the calendar year 2023, he said.

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

Serving as a crucial source of foreign exchange, travel, and tourism contributed Rs 15.9 lakh crore (USD 191.25 billion) to India's economy in 2022 and was estimated at Rs 16.5 lakh crore for 2023, he noted.

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

Top cities driving the increase in hiring in the sector include Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, and Kochi, he said adding that in tier II cities, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Chandigarh, he stated.

Alug said the prominent job profiles that will continue to be in demand experiencing year-on-year surges include sales (18 per cent), business development (17 per cent), chefs (15 per cent), travel consultants (15 per cent), tour operators (15 per cent), travel agents (15 per cent), hoteliers (15 per cent), guides (20 per cent), wildlife experts (12 per cent), and transportation providers (15 per cent), among others.

He said the travel and tourism sector is also undergoing transformation, with many new subsets like destination wedding travel, religious tourism, international tourism, adventure sports tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism, and rural tourism emerging in the new decade.

Another interesting emergence is that of sustainable tourism which has observed substantial global adoption, with a market value reaching USD 180 billion.

He further stated that companies are adopting the gig model to address talent shortages and meet the growing demand in the sector.

Since January 2023, there has been a 14 per cent increase in gig roles within the travel and tourism sector, encompassing positions such as translators, photographers, and tour guides and this is further expected to increase by 18-20 per cent in the next 2 years, Alug added.