Vatsala Tourism Academy
By Vatsala Subramanian, CEO
.jpg){kind=icon}
Started her career from a junior level position to later emerging into CEO in the travel and tourism industry, Vatsala Subramanian over the last 25 years of her career, has gained vast practical experiences. She has worked at all levels in various positions - right from sales to operations and selling visa to meeting corporate clients. "œBeing in the industry for this long, I had noticed that there is a scarcity of quality and professionalism in the present travel and tourism workforce. This intrigued me to foray into the journey of educating those professionals and fresher who lack the basic skills of surviving in the industry," shares Ms. Vatsala Subramanian. Instituted in 2018, Vatsala Tourism Academy (VTA) is the result of Ms. Vatsala's dream of utilizing her extensive practical expertise for the betterment of the aspirant travel and tourism professionals along with the upliftment of those who are already working in the industry.
Vatsala says, "œAccording to a report published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), India could possibly add another Rs. 8, 50,000 crores by the year 2020 just through tourism and this sector apparently will support 37.315 million jobs, which is about 8.7 percent of its total employment in India. And we at VTA are committed to gifting the industry not only knowledgeable but also skillful
professionals." Instead of encouraging the students to go for bookish knowledge, VTA makes students embrace the perks of practical learning and this is where VTA stands out in the crowd. The institute ensures the students for a course syllabus which is most up-to-date unlike optimum of travel and tourism institutes,which are still following a syllabus that has been prepared 2-3 decades back. The courses conducted by the institute are also quite unique which includes short-term certification courses in job related skills (Ticketing - Sales & Operations, Tour Operator, Visa & Passport, MICE, Travel Insurance & Forex), Soft skills (Selling skills, Mail etiquettes, Telephone etiquettes, Complaint handling & Objection handling), Interview attending techniques and Complaint Handling. "œWe also conduct short-term certificate courses in Destination training which encompasses Far East (covering Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bali, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and so on), Dubai, Mauritius, Maldives, Europe,along with Domestic Holiday Destinations," pinpoints Ms. Vatsala. Additionally, the institute conducts classes in Operational Excellence, Budget & Planning, Strategy, KRAs & KPIs and Business Analytics.
Vatsala adds, "œThe courses we conduct consist of one two days to two weeks tenure. For professionals who work in the industry and can't spare much time, we arrange a one day specialized course on the desired topic. However, the 2 weeks rapid course is mostly preferred, which promises to render matchless opportunities in the industry."
"Soft skills play a vital role today in the industry and here at VTA we have trained professionals who hold extensive 20 years of experience in the industry regarding those in-demand skills.".
Based in Chennai, despite being a young institute, VTA has earned a lot of appreciations from the different stakeholders of the industry and Vatsala's years of connection with the industry professionals, lets the institute relevant with the latest developments. Demonstrating high quality in its training, VTA in a very short span of time has trained more than 100 students among whom 50 percent comprises of working professionals and 50 percent includes fresher. "œAfter completing our training, the working professionals have witnessed better growth in their respective careers and the freshers are placed in IATA affiliated agencies and some are pursuing their higher studies. We as a training institute strive to maintain this quality and reach to greater heights with every passing year," proudly says Vatsala.
The students choosing to get trained at VTA are made accessible to experience the learning from a practical point of view and get groomed in accordance to the
industry demands. During the course tenure, the students are motivated to attend internships for a specific time period where they are provided the exposure to the real professional world and are encouraged to understand the nuances of the industry along with indulging into the basic knowledge. "œSoft skills play a vital role today in the industry and here at VTA we have trained professionals who hold extensive 20 years of experience in the industry regarding those in-demand skills. VTA is a new generation institute with altogether a unique set of aims, commitments, efforts, and principals," opines Vatsala. The institute focuses on churning out professionals who are equipped with the skills that are necessary to make it big in the industry.
Enabling the young dreams to turn into reality, the Institute targets to reach out to an optimum number of students and train them comprehensively regarding this industry. "œIn future, we with sheer efforts intend to revamp the existing industry and extend meaningful collaboration with the government organizations for bringing in fruitful opportunities for our students," concludes Ms. Vatsala.
Graduate from the University of Madras, Vatsala has successfully completed Airline Ticketing Course from Institute of Airlines and Travel Agencies, Chennai, coupled with attaining online certification course- Harvard Management Mentor Program. She has also completed Mahindra Yellow Belt from Mahindra Institute of Quality and a course on "˜Complaint as a Gift' from TMI. She is associated with reputed organizations like Jet Air Group, Thomas Cook, Galileo, Club Mahindra Travel, to name a few.
Vatsala says, "œAccording to a report published by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), India could possibly add another Rs. 8, 50,000 crores by the year 2020 just through tourism and this sector apparently will support 37.315 million jobs, which is about 8.7 percent of its total employment in India. And we at VTA are committed to gifting the industry not only knowledgeable but also skillful
professionals." Instead of encouraging the students to go for bookish knowledge, VTA makes students embrace the perks of practical learning and this is where VTA stands out in the crowd. The institute ensures the students for a course syllabus which is most up-to-date unlike optimum of travel and tourism institutes,which are still following a syllabus that has been prepared 2-3 decades back. The courses conducted by the institute are also quite unique which includes short-term certification courses in job related skills (Ticketing - Sales & Operations, Tour Operator, Visa & Passport, MICE, Travel Insurance & Forex), Soft skills (Selling skills, Mail etiquettes, Telephone etiquettes, Complaint handling & Objection handling), Interview attending techniques and Complaint Handling. "œWe also conduct short-term certificate courses in Destination training which encompasses Far East (covering Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bali, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and so on), Dubai, Mauritius, Maldives, Europe,along with Domestic Holiday Destinations," pinpoints Ms. Vatsala. Additionally, the institute conducts classes in Operational Excellence, Budget & Planning, Strategy, KRAs & KPIs and Business Analytics.
Vatsala adds, "œThe courses we conduct consist of one two days to two weeks tenure. For professionals who work in the industry and can't spare much time, we arrange a one day specialized course on the desired topic. However, the 2 weeks rapid course is mostly preferred, which promises to render matchless opportunities in the industry."
"Soft skills play a vital role today in the industry and here at VTA we have trained professionals who hold extensive 20 years of experience in the industry regarding those in-demand skills.".
Staying Ahead of the Curve
Based in Chennai, despite being a young institute, VTA has earned a lot of appreciations from the different stakeholders of the industry and Vatsala's years of connection with the industry professionals, lets the institute relevant with the latest developments. Demonstrating high quality in its training, VTA in a very short span of time has trained more than 100 students among whom 50 percent comprises of working professionals and 50 percent includes fresher. "œAfter completing our training, the working professionals have witnessed better growth in their respective careers and the freshers are placed in IATA affiliated agencies and some are pursuing their higher studies. We as a training institute strive to maintain this quality and reach to greater heights with every passing year," proudly says Vatsala.
The students choosing to get trained at VTA are made accessible to experience the learning from a practical point of view and get groomed in accordance to the
industry demands. During the course tenure, the students are motivated to attend internships for a specific time period where they are provided the exposure to the real professional world and are encouraged to understand the nuances of the industry along with indulging into the basic knowledge. "œSoft skills play a vital role today in the industry and here at VTA we have trained professionals who hold extensive 20 years of experience in the industry regarding those in-demand skills. VTA is a new generation institute with altogether a unique set of aims, commitments, efforts, and principals," opines Vatsala. The institute focuses on churning out professionals who are equipped with the skills that are necessary to make it big in the industry.
Enabling the young dreams to turn into reality, the Institute targets to reach out to an optimum number of students and train them comprehensively regarding this industry. "œIn future, we with sheer efforts intend to revamp the existing industry and extend meaningful collaboration with the government organizations for bringing in fruitful opportunities for our students," concludes Ms. Vatsala.
Vatsala Subramanian, CEO
Graduate from the University of Madras, Vatsala has successfully completed Airline Ticketing Course from Institute of Airlines and Travel Agencies, Chennai, coupled with attaining online certification course- Harvard Management Mentor Program. She has also completed Mahindra Yellow Belt from Mahindra Institute of Quality and a course on "˜Complaint as a Gift' from TMI. She is associated with reputed organizations like Jet Air Group, Thomas Cook, Galileo, Club Mahindra Travel, to name a few.