IITFC Course: All You Need to Know About

IITFC Course: The government of India is always keen to boost the Tourism Industry which results in the development of the country as a whole. This is so because tourism acts as an engine of economic growth and it gives direct and indirect benefits to all the sectors involved in it. To make this thing true, government use several tools and strategies, and the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification (IITFC) Program is one of them. The Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, continuously endeavours to build the capacity of all stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industries, with the objective of enhancing the tourism experience of domestic and international visitors to destinations in the country. Before moving further first of all we need to understand why there is a need for a tourist facilitator?

Why Tourist Facilitator?

One of the bottlenecks being faced is the presence of quantity and quality gaps in the area of trained human resources. The numbers of places of tourist importance are many as opposed to the short supply of trained and certified Guides/Tourist Facilitators. Further, in the meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Coordination Committee for Tourism Sector (IMCCTS) held under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary on 10th  August 2018, the Ministry of Culture (MoC) & Ministry of Tourism (MoT) had been directed to consider certification programme for the Tourist Guides in place of the existing Licensing system.

The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) had accordingly launched the “Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification Programme” to fill the gap and to keep pace with the growing requirements of the Tourism and Hospitality Industries.

The Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) Certification Program is an online learning program that is open to all and can be undertaken by anyone in the country at their own time, space and pace. The online courses can be accessed from different digital devices.

In this article, we would know the complete stages involved from applying to getting a certified tourist facilitator.

Eligibility for IITFC Course

At first, the aspirants need to visit the official website and to register themselves they need to check the eligibility criteria and other registration processes which are:

The candidates falling in the age bracket of 18 to 40 years and should have completed their 10+2 or equivalent examination whereas the candidates of 40 years of age should have completed 10th or equivalent examination conducted by any recognised Board or Government of India/State Government on or before the date of registration to the course are eligible for application.

Candidates may register themself by uploading all the following listed documents on the IITFC website/portal.

• Document showing proof of age (copy of class 10th marksheet / Certificate or Passport issued by the authority)
• Address Proof (Aadhar Card, Passport, Driving License, Ration Card, Voter ID Card or Certificate of Residence proof by the competent authority like municipal corporation or gram pradhan) 10+2 or equivalent Certificate (issued by any recognised Board by Government of India/State Government), and
• Caste certificate (in case of SC/ST candidate) issued by the competent authority.

Registration

• The registration process would be based on Aadhaar Card no. issued by UIDAI or Voter Card Id. no. issued by Election Commission of India along with One Time Password (OTP) based verification using Mobile Number.
• The certificate submitted by the candidate at the time of registration would be subject to verification by the concerned authorities. In case, at any point of time, if it is found that the candidate had submitted a fake or fabricated certificate, their IITF Certification would be cancelled without giving them any prior notice and the fee paid by them for registration will be forfeited.
• The registration of the candidate would be subject to Police verification of character and antecedents. In case, police verification of character and antecedents of a candidate is found negative, their candidature would be terminated forthwith without any prior notice.
• Registration once done will be valid for three years and it can be renewed for a period of further two years with a payment of 50% fees to be paid by the candidate at the time of initial registration.

How to register for IITFC Course?

• Do visit the official website of IITF Course.
• A new tab will open.
• For changing the language, click on the language option (Hindi/English).
• Click on “Create New Account” button to create a new account.
• Follow the on-screen instructions and fill in your details.
• Click on the link received on your E-mail to complete the further registration process.
• Login to the portal to complete your user profile via OTP verification process.
• Select the desired category of course i.e. Basic & Refresher.
• For Basic course, follow on-screen instructions to complete the payment process.
• Click on the desired module name, select the desired language and click on “Start” button. The program will launch in a new window.

Payment

Candidates after uploading their documents such as age proof, minimum qualification requirement, etc. The candidate is required to pay the registration fee of ₹ 2000/- (Rupees two thousand) only which is non-refundable in nature, or as modified from time to time, through the payment gateway as specified on the website/portal.

For the SC and ST candidates, and the candidates who are domicile residence of the Union Territory of Ladak, Jammu & Kashmir and the candidates who are domicile residence of Aspirational Districts as identified by NITI AAYOG (which is amended from time to time) are fully exempted from the registration fee. The candidates from the Schedule Cast and Schedule Tribe category are required to upload their caste certificate issued by the competent authority and the candidates who are the domicile residence of the Union Territory of Ladak, Jammu & Kashmir and Aspirational Districts identified by NITI AAYOG are required to upload an address/domicile residence proof issued by the competent authority.

Check this post for the list of aspirational districts list:

List of Aspirational Districts by NITI Aayog: IITFC Course

Online Modules

The best part of IITFC is its content which is designed in such an interactive format that attracts every candidate. One can find 7 modules in the basic course covering every segment which is required to be a tourist facilitator. The whole setup of the module is designed on Flash player facilitating students to study at their own pace irrespective of device and time. One can go through the modules and make notes as often as one wants. The only thing you will require for online study is a good internet connection and a device (mobile/laptop/tablet). Going through the study process you will encounter the following modules:

Assessment of IITFC Course

The assessment is taken to check the knowledge, skills, and understanding of the students in which questions are asked only from the module and from nowhere else. The questions are of multiple choices type with a moderate level of difficulty. For appearing in the course end test candidates has to pay a registration fee of ₹ 500 (non-refundable).

Type of assessment

Unit Assessment: After completion of a unit the assessment section is unlocked. There are generally 20-25 questions in a set that are neither too difficult nor too easy. One has to give the correct answer in a time frame to score best. As soon as all the in-unit tests are given by students, their OCC certificate is generated automatically with a validity of three years.

Course End Assessment: Once all the modules along with the in-unit test are completed the student becomes eligible for the course end test, which is organized twice in a year i.e. June and December. The centre of it would locate from the choices given to them. Candidates have to score a minimum of 50% of marks to qualify and become certified tourist facilitators.

In case if students fail in the first attempt, they can sit in the next course end assessment till the validity of the OCC certificate.

Field Training

The shortlisted candidates who qualify the assessment are called for 7-day field training as well as an internship. In which students have to undergo various seminars, lectures and practical experiences to the practical situations.

Students have to undertake a mandatory seven-day internship under the tour operators approved by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT). The internship is organized with the support of Regional Directors and Tourism officers who keep a regular check and shares their valuable experiences.

The major focus for training and internship is to make them ready in the competitive market and equipped with desired soft skills.

Final Certification

• On successful completion of all the above formalities i.e. qualifying the examination, training, internship, verification of documents and police verification the candidates will be awarded with INCREDIBLE INDIA TOURIST FACILITATOR BASIC CERTIFICATE.
• A unique I’d is generated along with Incredible India badge is issued by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), Government of India.
• All the certificate badge holders are eligible to be listed on Incredible India website, where a database of certificate tourist facilitator would be maintained by MoT, Govt. of India.
• This database would be available for use by all the interested stakeholders.
• Owner of this certificate can start their own business, or work for any travel agency/tour operators. There is also a scope for them to work in Govt. of India initiative or projects.

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