Tag: bba aviation colleges in kolkata

The Emerging New Opportunities in the Tourism Industry

The COVID pandemic has changed the very ways of operation of the tourism industry. While new benchmarks are being set to carry on this industry, new opportunities are also emerging out of these alterations. Let us take a close look into how the pandemic has introduced new trends to the tourism business and what opportunities lay ahead of the domain to climb its ladder of success once more.

30-Second Summary

  • An insight into the current scenario of the tourism industry and the scope that lay ahead
  • New emerging trends leading the industry to more opportunities for growth and flourishing
  • Opportunity for the students willing to pursue courses related to tourism

The travel and tourism industry has always been one of the leading industries of any economy. A significant part of every nation’s GDP comes from this industry. Hence, pursuing a career in travel and tourism would always be an intelligent choice. Even though recent times have been a little harsh on this sector, with the vaccines available and preventive measures being followed, the tourism domain is all ready to welcome people from across the corners of the world.

There’s no denying that despite the challenges faced due to the COVID pandemic, the future of the tourism industry appears promising and full of opportunities. At Avlon Shiksha Niketan, a renowned tourism management institute in Kolkata, we believe that humans have the ability to turn every adversity into an opportunity. And with the emerging new trends, fresh opportunities have already started rejuvenating the domain. On that note, here is a list of trends set by the pandemic, which are actually widening the scopes of growth for the travel and tourism industry.

New Trends Taking Over the Industry of Tourism

The number of travelers worldwide indeed presents an unusual picture of the tourism industry at present. However, there remain a lot of scopes for bringing about improvements as well. As new trends are emerging, following the freshly imposed restrictions and protocols, the tourism industry is also sensing new opportunities to be unfolded. Here are some trends that are offering new hope to this evergreen industry.

  • With remote working being the new trend, people are leaning towards leisure more than before

When restrictions become the rule, the intent to break through becomes spontaneous. With more people living a confined life, abiding by the remote working rules, the requirement of refreshments and leisure times are becoming more intense. People who earlier had little intentions to go for holidays are now planning long trips to shed off their shambles imposed by the pandemic. While remote working is surely a new trend, it is also opening new horizons for the tourism industry by turning every individual into a travel enthusiast.

  • A shift from international to local travels has brought in opportunities for local areas

Traveling to other countries with so many COVID restrictions listed can be more hassle than fun. Also, international trips today come with the risk of being held up in one place far from home in case of a lockdown. Therefore, people are looking for short breaks and nearby destinations.

Therefore, the local travel business is sure to surge in the coming months, which indeed is a silver lining for the industry. Local tourism always boosts local employment and economies. Besides, while plenty of cross-country flights remain suspended, interstate flights are being a competent resort for running the business feasibly.

  • Emphasis on contactless payments enabling faster services

Gone are the days when you could find people falling out about the payments and consuming hours to clear off the disputes, delaying the entire process of ticketing, check-in, and more. COVID has made contactless payment a staple for all of us.

This, in turn, has made the financial transactions more transparent, fast, and accurate. Be it GPay or any other, people can now pay the dues or buy tickets without entering into any arguments or misappropriations. This trend has opened fresh opportunities for the tourism industry as a whole. The hotels can now receive payments in a contactless manner facilitating a faster and transparent service.

  • VR tourism opening up many untamed opportunities to be explored

There is no denying that nothing can replace the experience of visiting a place physically.  However, with so many restrictions posed on traveling and the looming threats of contraction lingering around every corner, plenty of people are opting for virtual reality tours. This emerging trend of VR tours can be a part of the tourism industry to a significant extent in the near future.

With VR tourism making its place in the industry, people are loving to get transported to a world of fantasy and beauty sitting at the cozy corner of their home, without bothering about infections, hassle, or transport issues. VR tourism is, in fact, an entirely new horizon for the tourism industry to be ventured and has got immense potential to be explored.

  • Solo travel gaining a lot of attention from the tourists fraternity

Vacations generally mean traveling with family and kids. But the pandemic has altered the way people thought of traveling altogether. Now, more people are opting for solo travels as it involves less risk for families. No one wants their near and dear ones to be impacted by the diabolic virus. Hence, plenty of people are choosing solo trips over family vacations. This will surely offer the tourism industry a separate vertical to indulge in.

New Trends & Opportunities have Further Raised the Career Scope in Tourism Industry

With the new trends making their place in the tourism industry, a lot of new opportunities have cropped up for those willing to make a career in the niche. The future is likely to have a higher demand for professionally trained tourism experts. Hence, pursuing relevant courses in travel and tourism from a reputed institute would be an added advantage at present. Tourism graduates are more likely to find jobs within their states, with local traveling gaining more importance owing to the pandemic. Besides, trained tourism professionals can also indulge in entrepreneurial endeavors as demand for backpacking traveler’s huts and solo traveler’s huts will go higher in the future. There’s no denying that knowledge of the hospitality industry will always keep you ahead in the run.

At Avlon Shiksha Niketan, an esteemed tourism management institute in Kolkata, we believe that every change comes with new opportunities, and for the tourism industry, the recent trends will prove to be a game-changer. As the pioneers in aviation, travel, and tourism management education, we, at Avlon, have taken it up as our responsibility to make sure that our students get professional grooming to cope well with the industry’s advancing standards. With our industry-centric curriculum and hands-on training sessions, we are leaving no stones unturned in ensuring that our students grow capable enough of extracting the best out of any opportunity, odd or even.

Top Trends Impacting the Strategy Formulation across the Aviation Sector

The pandemic has largely altered the functioning of almost every industry vertical, and the aviation industry is no exception to it. Let us see how the situation has given rise to various new trends in the arena of aviation and how these trends are impacting the strategy formulation across the sector.

30-second summary:

  • Creating brand equity through greater attention to social media platforms
  • Effective planning and implementation to merge the offline and online channels to offer a solution to customer complaints
  • Stopping revenue leakage through the total revenue integrity route and tapping into the alternate streams of revenue generation
  • New directives and regulations on standardization to dominate the business environment in the future

For the leadership teams in the aviation sector, the challenges extend beyond responding to the current operational environment of the industry. In fact, it is about strategizing as much for the present as it is for the years to come.

As such, the trajectory of the trends of strategy formulation that dominate the sector is almost like that of the aircrafts. Per se, when one trend takes off for the high skies, the other starts to hit the ground at the same time. And between this ebb and flow of the strategic trends lies the story of the booming aviation sector, which is replete with major milestones, successes, and factors that keep fueling the growth.

It is a sector that has bounced back through the pandemic and crossed several hurdles along the way to still come up as one of the top revenue earners of the nation. On that note, we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, one of the leading aviation colleges in Kolkata, will take a closer look today at the top trends impacting the strategy formulation across the aviation sector.

Building social pace for creating greater brand equity

Several leading airlines across the world have taken off on the social flight, while others are still indulging in newer ways to engage with passengers to ensure lasting relationships with them. Though it means going out of the comfort zone and establishing real-time engagement with the customers, airlines are aiming to achieve this feat in a bid to improve brand equity and receive a mind share of the passengers.

Though some airlines have already taken the lead in social media engagement and management, others are still testing the waters. With social media taking priority in the overall customer relationship management scene, airlines are aiming to build robust and large resource pools that are able to respond to customer queries, posts, complaints, and tweets 24*7.

According to studies, the volume of social media communication for some of the leading airlines of the world ranges between 60,000 – 1,000,000 Facebook fans and 15,000 – 200,000 tweets. However, these numbers are expected to register a significant increase in the near future. Since competent social media management is at the forefront of strategy formulation at present, many aviation businesses are partnering with providers who can offer them a readymade talent pool of social media gurus and technology platforms to enhance brand equity on social platforms.

Maneuvering both the offline and online world of customers

The internet today is a powerful revenue generator for the airlines, as indicated by market research data. We live in an era where more than seventy-five percent of air tickets are purchased online. Automation of business processes like web check-in has considerably enhanced the convenience associated with air travel. Add to that the rising popularity of smartphones, which is bound to play a crucial role in revenue generation and relationship management now and in the times to come. 

Regardless of how strong the online channels get, the airline customer service contact center or the offline channel will continue being the crucial touch-point between the airlines and their customers because of the need for the ‘personal touch’ it brings. Many times, when it comes to challenges and complaints, customers would still rather speak to an actual customer service agent than talk to a bot.

In fact, there are instances where the customers drop-off from making an online purchase of travel packages or air tickets due to technical errors, slow page speed, or any billing glitches. An effective strategy to merge the offline and online channels can offer a solution to this issue. The airlines can consider the placement of a click-to-call option on the website of the airline or a travel agencies’ site. Thus, even when the online channel fails, the offline channel can take it smoothly from there to offer effective solutions to customer problems or queries.

Changing the course in terms of revenue generation

Consistently increasing fuel prices and rising competition are the realities that are negatively impacting the revenue-generating potential of the aviation sector at present. Thus, airline businesses are looking for new and improved ways of altering the course of revenue generation. A few of these strategies involve stopping revenue leakage through the total revenue integrity route or tapping into the alternate streams of revenue generation, such as selling ancillary services and products across value chains.

Going by the ancillary route has turned out to be a crucial revenue generator for the airline companies nowadays. Some of the services that have been coming up as top favorites in this aspect are booking preferred seats, Wi-Fi connectivity, and paying for the checked baggage.

We, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, have seen that revenue leakage at different business levels is also a major concern for most airlines. Per se, airlines are actively seeking to mitigate this challenge by adopting total revenue integrity programs. These programs focus on multiple processes, such as departure control, e-ticketing, and customer relationship management.

Greater focus on the standardization and regulatory route

Directives and regulations on standardization will keep on dominating the business environment now and in the future. Though most of these regulations at present pertain to the health and safety regulations, other factors like accounting and finance, consumer and environmental rights also have a significant role to play. For instance, the airlines across the nation stand a chance to get penalized if they fail to follow the COVID norms.

Though regulations increase passenger safety and improve business sustainability, compliance adds to the cost of operations. However, it is one of the major strategies of the sector to bear the cost on their own instead of transferring the burden to the customers.

As a future professional in the aviation industry, you will be a part of formulating and upholding these strategic decisions of the businesses. And to play a critical role in this regard, you need your skills and abilities honed to perfection in terms of decision-making, real-world knowledge, and industry insight. This is where Avlon Shiksha Niketan comes into the picture as one of the premier aviation colleges in Kolkata, training and prepping up ambitious minds to make their mark in the aviation industry. So, come and join us at Avlon and grow into an accomplished expert leading all these trends and more in the future.

The Core Managerial Challenges in the Niche of Tourism Management & the Key Ways to Overcome Them

Tourism management has its own share of challenges, which the Coronavirus pandemic has further elevated. Let us have a look at some of the core challenges and issues that tourism management professionals are currently facing and the key ways they can take to overcome these challenges effectively.

30-seconds summary:

  • Building and maintaining a credible online presence is not only the need of the hour but is also one of the biggest challenges amid the growing competition in the industry
  • The need is to maintain a balance between the global and local suppliers to prevent supply chain disruptions
  • The significance of market studies in keeping up with customer expectations is undeniable
  • Mitigating the challenges of the global pandemic through introducing a host of new health and security measures

In the past couple of years, the tourism industry has come up as one of the chief drivers of growth among the service sector in the country. In the last financial year, thirty-nine million jobs were created in this sector, and the number is expected to rise by two percent per annum to lead to more than fifty-two million jobs by 2028. Furthermore, during this period, both the rate of foreign tourist arrival and the presence of hotel chains in India are going to rise in tandem.

Thus, there is no denying that the industry is broadening its horizon at a rapid pace, with more key players and greater opportunities coming to the forefront. And, in such an ever-growing sector with rising competition, challenges are bound to come up on a day-to-day basis. As such, mitigating those challenges and moving past them is what makes a tourism manager truly stand out in his/her field.

With that being said, we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, a renowned tourism management institute in Kolkata, will take a closer look in this article today at the major managerial challenges in the niche of tourism management and the most effective ways to overcome them.

Building and maintaining a credible online presence

We live in the day and age where an average tourist would spend hours online researching about the place, the hotels, the restaurants, and more before booking anything. In fact, eighty percent of travelers take over four weeks to complete their research and actually book something. In such a scenario, if the tourism management fails to offer adequate attention to their online presence, the losses would run too high to count.

As such, many management teams are going for approaches where they partner with famous cab aggregators to combine their powerful web presence with successful mobile apps. Additionally, there is increased attention being paid to organic SEO, content marketing, and responsive apps and websites.

The disruption of the supply chains across the industry

The tourism industry heavily relies on the diverse network of global supply chains, many of which have been deeply imfpacted by the pandemic. As a matter of fact, seventy-five percent of the companies have claimed that their supply chains have been disrupted. Furthermore, some of the supply chains that have remained relatively the same until now are likely to experience issues in the future.

As a way to address this issue, the management has to create contingency plans for maintaining a high level of service. Per se, one of the viable options is hiring suppliers from other countries and opting for alternative delivery companies and local replacements. Thus, tourism management professionals have to understand the necessity to maintain a balance between the global and local suppliers.

Keeping up with the changes in guest expectations

Keeping up with the demands of the modern-day tech-savvy and worldly-wise guests is certainly one of the major challenges faced by the tourism industry. With a majority of the establishments bringing in sophisticated tech involving AI and VR, along with increasing the expenditure on smart gadgets and rooms, a company that is yet to invest in these aspects is certainly going to lag behind. Thus, the startups that are newly setting foot in the industry have to learn too much too soon, and thus, raise more capital in order to meet the demands of their target audience.

Of course, the businesses that have newly started making their presence felt in the industry need their tourism management professionals to come up with other avenues to entice the customers. As such, the management can decide on reward systems, discounts and offers, and a better marketing budget in order to fulfill customer expectations within the company’s allotted resources.

Maintenance of their own service standards

We, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, have noticed that the common perception about the scenario of increased competition is about addressing the need to be better than the competitors in the market. However, it is equally challenging for businesses to maintain and improve their own service standards in the current scenario, where everyone is targeting the same group of millennial travelers.

So, the key to solving this particular challenge starts with carrying out a thorough market study focusing on the specific demands of customers from the business. As such, it is not only about ensuring the presence of advanced facilities, but also about having a structured training schedule for all the employees. Moreover, even the tourism management teams have to keep themselves updated about the latest trends in the market and have them followed accordingly.

A host of challenges brought in by the global pandemic

The fact remains that the global pandemic has compounded the challenges that were already being faced by the tourism managers. For instance, the pace of digitalization had to be accelerated, the facilities for contactless travel had to be established, and the employees were trained and prepared again, and so on. To top it off, the message that all these additional steps are carrying had to convincingly reach the customers to make them rely on the business more.

There is no denying that the pandemic has changed the tourism industry in unforeseen ways. The high-mileage travelers are changing their bucket lists and focusing more on the options that are safer and closer home. Thus, it offers the right opportunity for the tourism management professionals to focus more on the traveling ‘experience’ offered by their companies, along with ensuring a greater attention to maintaining the general safety protocols.

When it comes to facing the multitude of core managerial challenges in the tourism industry, the young professionals need to be trained and prepped to the optimum, whereby they become the solutions that the sector needs. And this is where Avlon Shiksha Niketan comes into the picture as one of the premier tourism management institutes in Kolkata, successfully honing and grooming the aspirants for past many years to enable them to make their mark in the niche of tourism and travel management. With our holistic and real-world based approaches, we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, have always made sure that all our students are prepped up well to turn challenges into accomplishments in their illustrious careers

AI Chatbots – An Emerging Trend in the Modern World Aviation Industry

Chatbots have emerged as a revolution in the last few years, and almost all service industries have embraced them with open arms. In this article today, let us have a look at how AI chatbots are coming up as a major trend in the aviation industry and benefitting several crucial aspects of its operations.

30-seconds summary:

  • AI chatbots are mainly focused on improving customer experiences
  • Increased competitiveness among airlines has led to greater AI adoption
  • The chatbots reduce operational costs and offer opportunities for revenue growth
  • AI chatbots eliminate the need for hiring call centers

There was a time when the term AI (artificial intelligence) used to invoke mental images of dystopian futures and humanoid robots. However, AI algorithms and chatbots have now turned into indispensable parts of various applications and devices used on a daily basis. For instance, a majority of websites use AI chatbots to communicate with and aid the customers; there are AI chatbots to enhance your experience on the gaming platforms, and more so. With a majority of industries leveraging the power of AI chatbots to make innovations happen and offer better services, can the aviation industry be far behind?

With the reports showing that global AI implementation in the aviation industry is slated to reach $2.2 billion by 2025, chatbots are among the most prominent trend in the industry at present. Keeping that in mind, we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, a leading aviation college in Kolkata, have brought forth for you today some crucial details about this emerging trend in the aviation industry and how it is emerging as one of the most promising elements of technology integration in the aviation sector.

The growing popularity of chatbots in the aviation industry

AI chatbots are mainly focused on improving customer experiences, and the airlines are always in a bid to score better on this front. At the end of the day, it’s a highly competitive market, and every airline is trying to ace past its competition. Thus, airlines are developing chatbots for providing prompt answers and support to the common doubts and queries of the passengers.

Conversational chatbots are used to help the airlines save their resources by offering answers to common queries usually related to boarding passes, flight details, reservation information, and arrival/departure timings. Automating the process of answering commonly asked questions through AI chatbots ensures faster resolution of issues and greater customer engagement. Per se, the fact that chatbots save time and offer an effective resolution of issues makes them a viable solution for the aviation industry.

Back in 2018, studies had predicted that almost sixty-eight percent of airlines and forty-two percent of airports would start using chatbots in some way by the end of 2020. However, the pandemic assuredly led to an acceleration in the pace of adoption of the technology.

How have the chatbots benefitted the airline industry?

As we have already outlined the prime reason behind airline companies making a beeline in chatbot adoption, let’s move on to the varied ways in which this technology is aiding the sector.

  • Remarkable improvements in customer service

Chatbots have the capacity to handle customer queries any time of the day and offer real-time details, which is particularly useful in times of emergency. At the same time, AI chatbots are not bound by linguistic or time zone barriers since they are made to work anyway and any time for the valued customers of the airline. When the customers readily get answers to all their queries from a conversational bot, it helps improve customer experience and elevates the brand image of an airline.

  • An effective way to drive customer engagement

AI chatbots can improve customer engagement by offering them the required information, helping them in booking flight tickets, fulfilling customer requests, and enabling them to gather crucial info at one place. And we, at Avon Shiksha Niketan, being one of the best aviation colleges in Kolkata, can vouch for the fact that there is far greater engagement made this way than when the customers have to stand in long waiting lines to find the answers to their queries.

  • The resultant opportunities for revenue growth

One of the best things about AI chatbots is that they are quickly going from customer support facilitators to agile solutions for harnessing upselling prospects. The global aviation industry is already on the next stage of innovation with this trend as transactional capacities, offers, and payment gateways are being added to chatbots to boost the conversion rates and improve the revenues.

Reports suggest that forty-seven percent customers are now open to purchasing services or products from chatbots. It creates an immense prospect for the airline companies to cross-sell, sell, or upsell in-flight services and other related facilities to the customers.

  • Gaining integrated and streamlined data access

AI chatbots are able to collect and offer all the flight data and information on one platform that the customers can access anytime and from anywhere. Additionally, chatbots are able to keep track of all the interactions with the customers and also offer valuable insights to the airline operators regarding customer preferences, common issues, booking history, and so on. Streamlining the opportunity for easy data access helps the end-users and the airlines to make the industry more efficient in operations.

  • Chatbots help in saving time and effort of the airlines

Integration of a conversational, omnichannel chatbot can help the airlines in saving a lot of time and money in dealing with customer queries. With chatbots answering routine queries at all times of the day, the companies are able to deploy their human resources to other valuable activities and problem-solving tasks. It will not just save time and energy but also bring an overall improvement in the process of engagement and customer services.

  • Eliminates the need to outsource customer queries to call centers

Like every other business, outsourcing the queries to call centers was the only option airlines had prior to the AI boom in the industry, but not anymore. AI chatbots working round the clock have turned out to be a more economically viable solution than hiring call centers. After the chatbots are developed and deployed, they continue to automate the processes allotted to them. Now, since there are no call centers involved in the middle, the operational costs are reduced remarkably.

The rise and spread of AI chatbot adoption in the aviation industry is amply evident by now. However, we would also like to draw your attention to the fact that a service-based industry like aviation will always need its efficient team of professionals to successfully complete each day’s work. Thus, human resources and AI not only complement each other but also work the best when in conjunction with one another. And, it is the human resources of the aviation industry that we, Avlon Shiksha Niketan, strive to train to perfection to not only make their careers shine the brightest but also to aid in the continued progression of the industry. So, if you want to be a part of this ever-progressing sector of the economy, we, at Avlon, one of the aviation colleges in Kolkata, are right here to show you the best way ahead.

The Varied Career Opportunities in the Aviation Industry

The aviation industry is once again back to its previous glory and is again shining as one of the brightest career domains. So let’s shed some light today on the varied career opportunities that the aviation industry has to offer and also have a look at the salary and growth prospects in the same.

30-seconds summary:

  • India has the third-largest domestic aviation market and is slated to overtake the UK to become the third-largest air passenger market.
  • The demand for talent is the highest in customer services, cabin crew, and ground operations.
  • The opportunity for growth and lucrative salary packages are the two main features of the popular job roles in the industry.

If the facts and figures of the last three years are considered, the aviation industry in India emerges as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the country. In this period, India has not only become the third-largest domestic aviation market in the world but is also all set to overtake the United Kingdom in becoming the third-largest air passenger market by the year 2024. The consistent growth of the sector naturally translates into an increase in job opportunities. Experts also suggest that there is going to be a major rise in demand for talented and skilled professionals in the industry in the coming years.

So, our young and well-trained students looking forward to joining the aviation industry have much to rejoice in terms of having a glorious future ahead. On that note, we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, one of the most prominent aviation colleges in Kolkata, have brought to you today a brief overview of the varied career opportunities in the sector that are great in terms of growth as well as salary prospects.

Airline Customer Service Supervisor

In this fast-paced, highly competitive industry, the airline customer service supervisor holds a highly responsible middle management job role. These professionals have the responsibility of overseeing the inside gate or check-in/ticketing operations of the assigned flights during the scheduled shift. It also involves supervising the needs of their team of employees and answering customer inquiries that need managerial level assistance. The average base pay of ₹4.5 lakh makes this a lucrative opportunity to look forward to.

Airline Cabin Crew

Airline cabin crew hold the responsibility for the safety, welfare, and comfort of the passengers traveling on aircrafts during long-haul and short-haul flights. We, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, one of the most esteemed aviation colleges in Kolkata, believe this to be the perfect career opportunity for someone who is a people’s person and loves the prospect of traveling far and wide.

Along with a degree and honed soft skills, being a part of the airline cabin crew also demands the presence of good general health and fitness. As you gain experience in this job role, you would get the chance to progress to the role of cabin management or senior cabin crew. 

Airport Ground Staff

There is practically no air carrier or airport that can sustainably operate without proficient ground staff. As such, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that they are the vital cog in the wheel of the aviation sector, and no amount of machines or computers can replace them.

As the airport ground staff, you will have varied responsibilities, right from manning the check-in counters to taking reservations from the passengers who call. Moreover, if you want to progress further in this field, you need the ability to think on your feet and come up with effective solutions to unforeseen problems. One of the best aspects of this career is that the monthly pay package can be around one lakh and even more.

Cargo and Baggage Handling Staff

Taking up the job of cargo and baggage handling involves a lot more than simply lifting and moving all kinds of baggage and cargo. An important part of the job is to know about loading an aircraft in a way that the specified maximum allowable weight does not exceed and the center of gravity after loading stays within the permitted levels for a smooth operation of the aircraft.

Imagine being responsible for something that dictates the takeoff reference speed, stabilizer position, flap/slat position, and many other crucial parameters of an aircraft taking flight. That’s how crucial precision is in this job!

Fares and Ticketing Agent

Fare and ticketing agents work at the airport ticket counter for providing customer services to the incoming passengers, and their responsibilities include a complete range of customer service functions. A ticketing agent is generally the one who assists the passengers with tagging baggage and luggage check-in, ticketing, seat assignments, reservations, and answers queries related to flight fares and schedules. Besides working at the airport ticket counter, the ticketing agents also find their place in a hotel or at an airline ticket office in the city. Since the job involves direct interaction with the customers, the airlines prefer professionals with excellent written and verbal communication skills, along with basic mathematical and computer skills.

Airline Administrative Personnel

Airline administrative personnel are the ones who operate behind-the-scenes to keep everything smooth sailing on the ground and in the skies. With that being said, your job role as an airline administrative professional will depend on the department you are in. Some of the general duties and administrative tasks that you might need to deal with could include maintaining and preparing all kinds of records, record-keeping, entering and retrieving data, finding and compiling information, and so on. As an entry-level professional, you will be working in one of the administrative teams of the airline, but the ample scope of promotions would give you a top-notch position within years, along with a salary of over ₹5.8 lakh.

As you can well understand by now, each of these job roles requires the optimum honing of your skillset through advanced training, along with a thorough knowledge of the real-world scenarios at an airport. And, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, one of the Best Aviation Colleges in Kolkata, those are exactly the things that we focus on to groom our students into the most sought-after, high-in-demand professionals with a rising career graph. When your dream is to fly high, let us, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, be the ones to make those win

How is Digitalization Changing the Online and Offline Expectations of Guests?

Digitalization has brought in a sea of changes in our life and has raised the comfort level to a significantly high level. But it is this elevated comfort level that has altered the expectations of users, and this applies to the hospitality industry as well. In this article today, we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, will shed light on how digital tech innovations have worked towards transforming both online and offline expectations of the guests.

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30-seconds summary:

  • Increased access to customer data driving innovations in the hospitality sector
  • Leveraging data can help in customizing services as per customer expectations
  • A combination of tech innovations and employee proficiency can enhance guest experiences
  • Digital tech to enable both high-touch and low-touch customer services in the sector

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Technological evolution has become the name of the game since the past decade, with digital advancements affecting every aspect of our lives. Right from easing out our household chores to changing the way we do business, digitalization has brought in a complete transformation in our way of living. And, though there’s no denying the fact that this is an exciting feat, we also need to remember that such continuous tech innovations come with their own set of pros and cons.

In terms of doing business in this digital era, the modern opportunities have also led to a considerable change in consumer demands. With businesses getting to connect with consumers in a more effective and genuine manner, the consumers are also expecting more from the businesses. And, the change is the most noticeable in the hospitality sector.

We have to remember that hospitality is an industry that is based on the provision of offering curated and high-end provisions to the guests. So, even though digitalization has reduced the workload on the staff, it has also led to newer guest touch-points and increased expectations. In fact, this is an era where 67% of consumers claim to have raised their standards of expectation, but 51% of consumers feel that the companies fail to meet those expectations.

So, how is digitalization changing the online and offline expectations of guests? What can the hospitality industry do in response to these changes? Here’s what we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, recognized as the Best College for Hotel Management in Kolkata, have to say in the matter!

Bringing personalized engagement in online interactions

With increased reliance on the online platforms to effectively optimize business processes, there is a possibility of customer interactions becoming impersonal and detached. However, this is exactly what hospitality businesses should strive to prevent. After all, streamlining processes through technology shouldn’t amount to sacrificing genuine customer care.

The guests might be using their mobiles to book the rooms or the tables, but they still place a premium on personalized interaction and engagement. They still seek instant gratification of their demands and expect to have a memorable experience at your establishment. And, there’s no reason to think that online interactions cannot create humanized experiences. In fact, using digital platforms should ensure better responsiveness from businesses.

At the end of the day, it is about combining advanced technology with great staff to deliver an exceptional and super-responsive guest service. So, whenever a hospitality business considers the introduction of new tech to its processes, it has to ask some critical questions to itself. Do you think the new tech entrant will help your employees to curate a better guest experience? Does it add to your existing capabilities of connecting with your guests in a personalized way?

The big responsibility of effectively handling big data

There is hardly anyone in the current business world who hasn’t heard of big data and its amazing capabilities. But, the most important thing to realize here is that effective management of big data is also a major responsibility.

Studies show that 57 percent of consumers don’t mind sharing their personal information to receive personalized discounts and offers. The increase in digital access for the guests and the businesses has established a stronger connection between the two, where the consumers expect to be heard, and their demands met. And an increase in access to consumer data also means more touch-points for the hoteliers. They get the opportunity to change their operational models, create better apps, and train their staff to deliver a highly personalized experience for each guest. However, besides the opportunities, their responsibility now extends to ensuring that the data is kept secure and protected, which also forms a significant aspect of employee training.

Delivering a personalized experience both online and offline through greater access to guest data has become a crucial aspect in streamlining the customer’s journey and curating an unforgettable experience.

Making the most out of the hybrid service demands

It’s important to realize that guests come with their unique set of expectations. When one group prefers a traditional, high-touch experience, the other might be more comfortable with a self-service, low-touch experience. This offers an opportunity for hotels to modify their guest service processes to accommodate the respective needs and interaction preferences of each guest.

So, for the guests who are more into self-service experiences, there has to be a greater emphasis on delivering fast and mobile services. On the other hand, the ones craving a high-touch experience receive instant attention from the staff. This is a win-win situation in all regards because the guests get the kind of services that they look for, and the staff can dedicate their energy to where it’s needed the most.

The hospitality sector understands the value of manpower as its most important resource, and the hybrid service structure enables the best use of that resource.

Avlon Shiksha Niketan preparing future professionals to meet industry demands

At Avlon Shiksha Niketan, we believe that this is an exciting era for the hospitality sector; thanks to the widespread attention being given to digitalization. Businesses within the country and beyond have become more open to tech innovations in bringing major changes in guest experiences. However, with the guest service models witnessing such a complete digital makeover, the industry is in dire need of professionals who can keep up with the demands of the times. And, this is exactly where we, at Avlon, come into the picture as a leading hospitality management college in Kolkata, known for grooming and preparing the future professionals for the ever-advancing hospitality industry. A progressive and innovative approach to learning, which is the key element of education impartation at Avlon, resonates across all our educational institutions, including Cooch Behar College, Alipurduar Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Prasannadeb Women’s College, Sarojini Naidu College for Women, and Siliguri College.

Our aim, at Avlon, has always been to ensure that we train our students for the real-world aspects of the industry they will be joining soon, and that involves arming them with practical knowledge about the technological revolution sweeping the sector. Through their coursework and hands-on projects, the students get to sharpen their skills and enhance their know-how in all the facets of offline and online guest services. This enables them to put their best foot forward when they finally step into the professional realm.

Being the only institute for the Aviation, Tourism, and Hospitality Management category in India, we, at Avlon, are here to instill the highest level of innovation, exceptionality, and commitment in our budding professionals that makes them stand out in the crowd.

 

The Booming Scope of Aviation and Hospitality in India

In the modern era of globalization, the aviation and hospitality industry has not only assumed greater significance, but is also gaining a place among the most lucrative career domains. No wonder, more and more individuals are preferring to work in the industry. However, as per recent reports, the career opportunities in the field far outweigh the availability of skilled professionals. It would be safe to say that this field of work is going to maintain a profitable status for the jobseekers in the years to come.

So, if you have the zeal to work across the globe, with a spirit to assist people with a smile, then aviation and hospitality can be the ideal profession for you. And, if you are still pondering over the scope of aviation and hospitality in the country, we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, the most renowned aviation training institute in Kolkata, would like to assure you that the sector is booming and the number of job positions and growth prospects are on the rise each year.

Let us explain the facts further by elaborating on the widening scope of aviation and hospitality in India.

Career prospects in the aviation and hospitality industry

As we mentioned earlier, the future looks bright for the aspirants of the aviation and hospitality industry in terms of varied job roles and lucrative pay packages. And, we have the numbers to support our statement. First off, the international players in the industry are ready to increase their presence in the country, and as per the recent report by IBEF, they are slated to account for 50 percent of shares by 2022. With the international names entering the field, the scope is widened greatly in terms of number of the job vacancies opening up for the future aspirants.

To top it off, when speaking specifically in terms of the aviation sector in the country, the Indian carriers are expected to increase their fleet sizes to at least 1,100 aircraft by 2027, and the freight traffic on the Indian airports is projected to cross 11.4 MT by 2032. Thus, the Indian airports will need more number of qualified professionals not just up in the air, but also on the ground to ensure that everything runs without a glitch. 

Right from managing the guests to handling the finest details of everyday operations, certified experts of aviation and hospitality are in-demand for diverse responsibilities in the field. The need is for you to rise up to the challenge and prepare yourself for the accomplished career path that lies ahead.

The top five job profiles in the aviation and hospitality industry

The job profiles in the aviation and hospitality industry are diverse, with several new roles opening up in recent years. Keeping all that in mind, we, at Avlon, present to you the top five job profiles in the field:

  1. Cabin crew/flight attendant: Airline cabin crew and flight attendants are responsible for the safety, comfort, and welfare of the passengers traveling on the aircraft during long-haul and short-haul flights. This is one of the most in-demand job profiles in the aviation industry.
  2. Airport ground staff: Airport ground staff includes passenger service agents who have the responsibility to uphold the smooth running of the group operations and offer superior customer service to the travelers. Ticketing and handling baggage claims are prime examples of their duties.
  3. Culinary managers: Dining experiences are an important part of air travel. The primary goal of a culinary manager is to make sure that the customers are pleased with the culinary delights served to them on the flight.
  4. Concierge: The responsibility of a concierge is to interact directly with the customers and provide them with varied services, such as booking a restaurant reservation or the tickets to a show, or providing a babysitter.
  5. Executive chefs: An executive chef has more of a managerial role that involves overseeing the food operations in venues that serve food. They supervise sous chefs, cooks, and other kitchen employees.

The earning potential of aviation and hospitality industry professionals

There is no denying the fact that a good salary structure and attractive pay packages are among the main draws for the aspirants looking to join the industry. As a matter of fact, even the entry-level salaries in the aviation and hospitality sectors are profitable enough, with the promise of better pay assured with increased experience and improved skillsets.

For instance, an entry-level flight attendant can expect to earn an average total compensation of nearly INR 400,000, with the salary figures reaching nearly INR 760,000 within five years in the profession. The same goes for an executive chef, whose average total compensation with less than one year of experience stands at around INR 425,000, and ideally goes up to more than INR 880,000 within five years.

These are only two instances of the salary prospects in the field. Even in other job profiles, you will note that the pay structure is pretty lucrative. Besides, these are not absolute figures, and as the demand for qualified experts increases in each of the job positions, you can expect these numbers to go even higher.

Let your career dreams turn into a reality with Avlon Shiksha Niketan

Though the opportunities are aplenty in the field, securing the job of your dreams needs you to truly stand out from the rest. After all, the top job providers in the field look for expert professionals who can enrich their business even further with their unique skillset. And, this is where we, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, can help you out!

We are the only institution in its category, offering exclusive BBA certification in Aviation, Tourism, and Hospitality management: the three core sectors of the service industry and the fastest-growing employment sectors globally.

We, at Avlon Shiksha Niketan, recognized as the Best Hospitality Management Institute in Kolkata, are affiliated under three renowned universities of the country – the University of North Bengal, Panchanan Barma University (PBU), and West Bengal State University (WBSU). We, through our BBA degree course, offer our students a holistic learning experience that helps them in making the most of the career prospects that lay in their path. Our education programs are focused on offering technical knowledge and practical skillsets to the young professionals to prepare them better for the professional experiences that await them in the near future.

So, come and join us at Avlon to turn your career dreams into a reality and continue the saga of accomplishments as led by our alumni.