Outside of India, one hears a lot about the technical schools which train engineers and developers.  What is the educational infrastructure (or institutions) like for people who want to become travel professionals in India?

The majority of Institutes in India are offering education as per International Air Transport Association (IATA) curriculum. Though there are lots of them, the course and teaching methodology is very old, hence majority of students are not employable in the industry.  This is why I’m coming up with more industry-focused, case-study-based approach using interactive learning approach; we're coming out with courses under the brand name “TravelVidya."  Our vision is to make this institute a landmark in the industry, much like IIMs and IITs of India, so that people outside India can come to India to do this course.

Traveling in India is not a difficult thing and it’s very easy to mix with people in India. India is a land of different religions and culture and before coming to India, foreign visitors should know various practices followed in various religions in India, which will make them 80 percent fit to be a good guest. On the other hand, Indians should teach foreign visitors about their local culture, religion, way of living, be more friendly and honest, etc. which will be one of the best experiences of any foreign guests to take back home.  Staying in a hotel and traveling with tourist guides and doing sightseeing is what every foreign visitor does but the real experience is when they stay with an Indian family in their home and travel locally with them, understanding them closely. This experience I’m sure will be the best experience for any foreign visitor.

Prior to founding TravelVidya, you worked for MakeMyTrip India Pvt. Ltd, one of the country's largest travel sites.  As the last few years have seen significant growth in tourism in India, many new companies have sprouted to support the industry and some have grown to be quite large and powerful.  How will smaller travel and tourism companies best survive and profit in the next few years in India?

Till last year travel and tourism Industry in India was highly profitable both in terms of net revenues and customer acquisition, but with emergence of new companies including international giants like Travelocity and Expedia in India, this industry is no longer profitable. In the coming years we will see some consolidation in travel industry and a more focused approach towards selling land products. With this increased competition, the customer is taking all benefit and getting best bargains for their money. Profits will come when the technology is best used with less human interface and selling more of land products. Key differentiator for any new company will be technology and innovative products.

Issues like protecting and preserving the environment, improving roads and airports, addressing sanitation and the like all affect tourism but they could be seen as the government's responsibility.  How are India's travel and tourism operators addressing these big issues – and what small steps could an individual travel agency take to improve the "big picture" of Indian tourism?

Indian travel companies are doing nothing to improve the tourism infrastructure in the country. There are however a lot of committees, forums and meetings happening on this, but so far nothing has come out and these forums are mere networking opportunity for companies. The government is doing their bit but again the progress is very slow and if they want to do something real big, NGOs and other organizations block their way by filing lawsuits and protests.  However, I have seen lot of travel companies taking part in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by helping underprivileged children, helping various NGOs, etc. Recently in one of the travel conferences, it has been decided to push government to build good network of roads and create more centralized infrastructure and licensing to promote tourism, but let's wait and watch what will happen here.