Tourism Based Employment Opportunities in Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh, a traveller’s paradise, is now not only the tourist destination. It is also growing as the hub of the tourism based employment opportunities.  With over 1.6 crore tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh every as per the records of HP tourism department. This industry is consistently contributing towards improving the livelihood of the locals with growing the employment opportunities. Especially in the rural and semi-urban areas.

Tourism sector provide you lots of employment opportunities from adventure guide to cafe owners, you can choose the job role you are passionate about. In this article we will discuss the employment opportunities tourism provides.

Top Sectors in Tourism Generating the Employment opportunities in Himachal Pradesh

Hospitality & Hotel Management:

The boom in the tourism in Himachal pradesh has increased the demand for the services like hospitality and hotels. Key job roles that you can opt for in Hospitality and Hotel management are as follow:

• Hotel Manager
• Receptionist & front desk staff
• Chefs, cooks, and housekeeping staff.
• Resort maintenance teams

The Government of Himachal Pradesh has taken many initiatives to increase the opportunities. You can now get trained for the staff training under the various skill development programs offered by the government of Himachal Pradesh

Travel and Transport Services

Travel and transport services is also booming along with the tourism this sectors has increased the employment opportunities in the many different areas such as:

• Tourist taxi driver
• Local buses and transport facilities.
• Bike rental business is the most famous nowadays in Himachal Pradesh as most of the travellers want to take the adventure of bike rides in the mountains.
• Tour Guides with multilingual skills.

Adventure and Eco-Tourism:

Himachal Pradesh is the most loved adventurous tourist destination as it provide you evry kind of adventure you dreamed about. And if you from Himachal Pradesh and wanted to create your career following your passion then this field is best for you. You can have different option you can choose for yourself:

• Paragliding instructor or pilots (Bir-billing).
• River rafting experts (Kullu, Manali, Tatapani)
• Trekking Guides ( Kullu, Triund, Kinnaur, Spiti Chamba etc)

You can take the certification from the institutes like Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports for field that interest you most.

Handicrafts and Local Artisan Businesses

If you are artist and want to build you career with your artisan skill. Tourist demand for souvenirs has boosted jobs in:

• Woolen shawls weaving (Kullu)
• Wood carvings & poetry ( Chamba miniature painting art and Kangra)
• Jewelry and hand made crafts.

Running these kind of micro enterprises you can involve your family to generate more income and self-help groups, especially empowering the women of Himachal Pradesh

Food and Beverages Services:

 The cafe culture is getting very famous among the traveller nowadays and so in the Himachal Pradesh. Numbers of cafes are earning well in the famous places like Kasol, Dharamshala, Manali, Spiti and other famous tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh.

This is creating the employment opportunities in the various sectors like:

Emerging Trends in Himachal Tourism Employment Opportunities:

Homestays: Over 3000 new homestays are registered employing the locals as host, caretakers, and cooks.
Agro- tourism & Forest Retreats: Farmers are converting land into guest experiences, combining agriculture with the hospitality.
Women-led ventures: Self-Help groups in Kullu and Lahaul are setting up the examples like Eco-lodges and cultural heritage tours.

Government Support and Training Programs:

The Himachal Pradesh government is actively supporting employment through the different schemes such as:

• Skill development trainings: Himachal Pradesh government has launched the various training programs for hospitality, guiding, and adventure sports.
• Subsides for setting up the homestays and eco- friendly businesses 
• Partnerships with the NGOs for the rural-tourism capacity building.

 Tourism startup idea for the Youth in Himachal Pradesh:

If you are living in Himachal Pradesh and looking forward to entrepreneurial paths there are many opportunities you can opt to start you journey:

• Local Trekking agency.
• Mountain cafe with Live music.
• Himachali merchandise e-store. 
• Instagram tours for the digital Nomads.

Some digital marketing skills + local knowledge can be a very powerful business combo!

Why Tourism is the future of Jobs in HImachal 

Tourism in Himachal Pradesh is not only about the beautiful places and views, rather its about the people, culture and vibe you can enjoy here. The sector is creating the sustainable, inclusive, and rewarding jobs opportunities, especially for the local youth and women. With the correct skills and support you can contribute towards improving the economy and growth of tourism in Himachal Pradesh.