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As tourism around the world gets competitive, destinations need to differentiate themselves on the basis of their unique personalities and their ability to create a distinct image in the minds of consumers and prospective consumers – the visitors in our case. The satisfaction of the visitor is directly related to the quality of immersion in local experiences in the destinations visited. This can be achieved through the effective participation of various stakeholders who shoulder responsibilities in the creation of a seamless experience for the visitors.
Keeping this in mind, a stalwart initiative in this regard is the introduction of the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Certification (IITFC) Programme, a digital initiative that aims at the creation of an online learning platform to facilitate tourism learning at the candidate’s own time, space, path and pace, eventually paving the way for the creation of Certified Tourist Facilitators of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
Introduction to IITFC Course
The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has launched the Incredible India Tourist Facility Certification (IITFC) program for Indian citizens for their active involvement in the tourism industry. This IITFC program will enable citizens to enhance and develop their skills associated with the tourism industry, and will also get in-depth knowledge of facilitating tourists across the country.
If you are interested to enrol for this IITFC program and looking for information related to this course, just keep scrolling this page because, in this article, we are going to provide all the details about the Incredible India Tourist Facility Certification (IITFC) Program.
Objective of IITFC Course
Below are the primary objectives of the IITFC program:
- The initiative of the IITFC program is aimed at reaching audiences from each and every corner of the world.
- This initiative will ensure a rewarding experience for tourists, as this initiative will also address the issue of shortage of tourist guides as well as it will provide a lot of competition that will further ensure in providing the best tourist facilitators.
- It aims for transforming a local citizen with no specified skills but having proficiency in a regional/local language into a potential bread earner for their households.
- The online learning management program is managed by the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM).
- This online program will have many benefits such as creation of employment for the local people, provide local experience and traditional knowledge on tourist destinations and will be accompanied by the involvement of people of any age or any place.
- This program will change the concept of tourist guides and will be replaced by tourist facilitators from across the country.
Eligibility for IITFC Course
- The candidate must have attained the age of 18 years as on the date of registration to the course on the portal by the candidate.
- The candidate below the age of 40 years should have completed 10+2 or equivalent examination whereas the candidates of 40 years of age and above should have completed 10 or equivalent examination conducted by any recognised Board by Government of India/State Government on or before the date of registration to the course.
- He/she may register himself/herself by uploading all the required documents on the IITFC website/portal.
Duration of IITFC Course
The duration of the IITFC Course totally depends on your own pace and time. There is not any fixed timeline for the completion of the IITF program.
Registration Process
- Any person aspiring to be an IITF certificate holder needs to register himself on the IITF portal giving all the details as required therein.
- In the process of registration, he/she will be creating a User ID and Password.
- The registration would be based on Aadhaar Card Number issued by UIDAI or Voter Card ID number issued by Election Commission of India along with One Time Password (OTP) based verification using Mobile Number.
- He/she is required to upload the documents such as age proof, minimum qualification requirement, etc.
- The candidate is required to pay registration fee of Rs. 2000/- (Rupees two thousand) only (non-refundable), or as modified from time to time, through the payment gateway as specified on the website/portal.
- The SC and ST candidates, the candidates who are domicile residence of the Union Territory of Ladak, Jammu & Kashmir and the candidates who are the domicile residence of Aspirational Districts as identified by NITI AAYOG are exempted from registration fee.
- The candidates from SC and ST category are required to upload a 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 as identified by NITI AAYOG are required to upload an address/domicile residence proof issued by the competent authority.
- 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, it is found that the candidate had submitted a false or fabricated certificate, his/her ITS Certification would be cancelled without any prior notice and the fee paid 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, his/her 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% fee to be paid by the candidate at the time of initial registration.
Course Fees
| Category | Fees (In Rs.) |
| General | Rs. 2000 |
| SC/ST/Aspirational districts | Free |
Documents Required
Documents required to register for any online course under the IITFC program:
- Document showing age proof (copy of 10th Class Board Certificate, 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) 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.
- To register under IITFC advanced category a candidate must be an IITFC Basic category certificate holder.
Qualities of a Tourist Facilitator
- Having a pleasant personality.
- Love to interact with people.
- Having good communication skills.
- Love to make new friends easily.
- Have proud of your city’s culture and tradition.
- Could handle difficult situations calmly.
Course curricular
The Incredible India Tourist Facilitator Course is divided into 7 modules.
Module-1
World of Tourism: Covers why tourists visit India along with the role of tourist facilitator in the promotion of tourism.
Module-2
History of India: This module includes the glory of India and its vibrant history. It also discusses society and culture.
Module-3
Tourism Terminology: In this section, the terms related to the tourism field and tourism geography are being taught.
Module-4
Communication: This module deals with the art of communication and its importance for tourist facilitators.
Module-5
Tourist Facilitator Process: It covers pre-tour, on tour and post-tour activities performed by a tourist facilitator.
Module-6
Understanding Group Dynamics: In this module duties and responsibilities along with how to handle emergency situations are discussed.
Module-7
Destination: The last module is a destination based in which students have to cover either one state or Union territory from 28 states and 9 Union territories to receive Online Course Completion (OCC) certificate and be eligible to register themselves for course end examination.
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