Tech the road to travel training
The travel industry needs to adapt to new-age methods of training such as e-learning courses and webinars to increase training outcomes.
The culture of skills enhancement exists among travel professionals but the travel industry does not have enough avenues to reach out to. The dependency is mainly on roadshows which happen once or twice a year and does not guarantee invitation. Online trainings have a bigger shelf life – 90 days at its minimum. TravelGyaan.com offers free product and destination training to the travel trade through elearning courses and webinars. Nikita Rawtani, Co-founder, TravelGyaan.com, says, “Through this medium, travel professionals can learn at their own time and pace to upgrade their skill sets. We reach out to stakeholders such as tourism boards, cruise liners, hotels, attractions and other travel products to conduct the courses on our platform.”
TravelGyaan claims to be user- friendly and has features such as online quiz, instant certification and also offers a chance to win prizes, Fam trips, vouchers, and invitation to attend exclusive tourism events. It also has a special feature where attendees can submit itineraries based on the course content. This helps its clients gauge the level of engagement and helps them choose the attendees eligible for a lucky draw. Rawtani adds, “We are trying to reach out to more and more agents by participating in roadshows and regular email campaigns. In early 2016, we were invited to participate in two roadshows (IITT and OTM) and deliver offline training. We received an overwhelming response that reflected their inclination to learn about new destinations and products. We constantly update our data and keep a track of industry movements.”
Online training programme, she says, is economical when compared with a physical roadshow. However, she adds that a physical roadshow is equally important in the marketing mix. Speaking about the benefits her portal offers to clients, she says, “The most important task is to identify a deserving candidate who is eligible for a Fam trip or a gift voucher rather than leaving it to a lucky draw. The reports we provide clients capture attendee movements such as attendance in terms of time spent, pass score, number of attempts, and attendee details.”
We reach out to tourism boards, cruise liners, hotels, attractions and others to conduct the courses on our platform