Onboarding new staff in travel and tourism companies

Documents that take time

Collect the basics through the self-onboarding link, available in English, Hindi and Gujarati, where the joiner gives their ID, address and bank account and uploads Aadhaar, PAN and bank proof. Start the slow items in parallel. For tour managers, check passport validity and begin any visa applications for the first departures. For airport staff, start the airport entry pass process, which usually needs police verification and company sponsorship. Record each document with its expiry date as it arrives.

Product and destination training

A consultant who has never been to Kashmir can still sell it well after good training. Run induction sessions on the company's products, key destinations, booking processes, payment and cancellation policies, and the tone you expect with customers. Ticketing and visa executives need training on the systems and embassy rules they will use daily. Record each as a training program, so every joiner's completions are visible before they handle customers alone.

The shadow tour

A new tour manager's first departure should be as assistant to an experienced one, on a tour that runs often, such as a Rajasthan circuit or a Kerala package. They handle part of the work, such as hotel check-ins or the daily briefing, and learn the company's cash float rules and emergency contacts. Only after the shadow tour and a debrief with the operations head should they lead a group alone.

Appointment terms and probation

Issue the appointment letter, which the OSH Code requires for every employee, with the tour allowance, comp-off rules, cash float responsibilities and, for seasonal staff, the contract dates. Three months of probation suits consultants and airport staff, while tour managers are better judged on at least two tours. The reporting manager gives a 1 to 5 rating with a comment in the probation review, and HR then confirms, extends or records the person as not confirmed.

How to set it up in ZeniaHR

1. The day an offer is accepted, send the self-onboarding link and start passport, visa and airport pass checks in parallel.
2. Approve submissions to create employee records, then set the branch, desk or tour department, employment type and reporting manager.
3. Record passports, visas and airport entry passes in each employee's documents with their expiry dates.
4. Create product, destination and systems induction programs in Learning, and enrol every joiner before the season.
5. Use the Work terms policy to set probation length per employment type, and send review requests from the Probation & Confirmation queue.
6. Hold the appointment letter template, with tour allowance and cash float terms, in the HR letter library, and keep each signed copy on the employee's file.

Read more about onboarding in ZeniaHR.

Roles this applies to

Frequently asked questions