Rashi Jakhete and Karan Bajaj don’t know each other, but they have a common point. They both studied at Excelia Tourism School in France, and started their careers in Europe. Karan Bajaj, 33 years old, graduated with a Bachelor in International Tourism Management from Excelia Tourism School in 2014. Rashi Jakhete, 24, joined the school later and graduated in 2023 with a MSc in International Tourism and Destination management.
Karan started his studies in Hotel Management in Chandigarh, before he found out about the possibility to complete his Bachelor degree in France. “That was my first time in France, but also my first time abroad, and I was a little nervous initially” he admits. Karan’s Bachelor programme in International Tourism Management was hosted in the historic campus of Excelia in La Rochelle, a beautiful city by the Atlantic ocean, famous for its scenic landscapes, architectural heritage and dynamic economy. “La Rochelle is a very touristy destination, so it was interesting for a student like me to be there. And the sunsets in summer time are to die for”.
Karan’s experience from France to Scotland, via Italy and Dubai
“I particularly enjoyed how multicultural my batch was. I met other students from Australia, the US, China… I learnt a lot from their respective cultures!” he shares enthusiastically. According to him, his degree opened the doors to an international career in hospitality. Karan started as an intern in a castle in the French Alps, getting trained at the front desk as well as in the food and beverages section. “Excelia had helped me find this first internship. From there, I got the opportunity to work in Toscana, Italy, in another castle” he recalls.
Soon after, in 2015, Karan joined the Grand Hyatt in Dubai, as the Assistant Manager in Food and Beverages (F&B), where he stayed till pandemic hit in 2020. He then took a break till 2022, when the hospitality sector got affected by the pandemic, but secured a new position as a head duty manager in Scotland for ICML Group of Hotels. Was it easy to find a job? “Excelia is really renowned in the field of tourism and hospitality. All my former bosses knew about the school” he says. Excelia Tourism School is indeed one of the only institutes in Europe entirely dedicated to management of tourism, and the only one in France holding the UNWTO -TedQual, a label dedicated to tourism and delivered by the United Nations.
Rashi wanted to combine theory with professional exposure
This reputation of academic quality as well as practical approach is also what attracted Rashi Jakhete to Excelia Tourism School. Originally from Aurangabad, Rashi is a former student of the reputed Fergusson College in Pune, from where she graduated with a BA in History, with minors in sociology and psychology. During her last year, Rashi also attended French classes at the foreign languages department of Savitribai Phule University. “It really helped, and then I continued learning French at Excelia”, she says.
“I always wanted to study tourism” explains Rashi. “However, I didn’t find the right match for myself in India. That’s why I started with a Bachelor in History, which was my second favorite subject. In India, most people working in the travel industry get a general MBA or another degree in commerce, marketing or sales, and they adapt later on to the field of tourism”. However, Rashi never gave up on her dream. And when the time came to look for a Masters programme, she started searching for courses abroad.
Securing the Eiffel Scholarship
Rashi found out about Excelia online through the website of Campus France, the national agency for the promotion of higher education in France. Rashi was looking for a programme combining theory with professional exposure, and she particularly valued the fact that a lot of classes at Excelia Tourism School are taught by practitioners coming from the travel industry. She contacted the India representative of Excelia to get some extra information, and started her application for the MSc in International Tourism and Destination Management. “The admissions process was quite straightforward”, she remembers. “I had to provide different documents like my transcripts, statement of purpose, recommendation letters etc., and then appear for an online interview”.
A student with very good academic records, Rashi was even awarded the prestigious Eiffel scholarship for the duration of the programme. The Eiffel Excellence programme is a French scholarship scheme dedicated to non-European Masters and PhD students, funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It entails a monthly allowance of 1,200 euros a month plus a flight ticket to France, amongst other benefits.
The study trip in France, a highlight of the MSc in international tourism and destination management
Rashi, who attended Excelia’s campus in Tours, one hour by train from Paris, thought that the programme was intense. “We had a lot of classes: marketing, branding, sustainability, consultancy… The syllabus was quite huge” she recalls. For her, a highlight of the programme was definitely the study trip in France. The students went to different emblematic destinations like Cognac, where the famous brandy is made, the Beauval zoo, one of the biggest zoos in Europe, and the gorgeous Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley. Students not only visited all these renowned tourist destinations, but got to interact with the professionals who manage them.
Finding a job was the next step for Rashi, who was especially interested in Adventure Tourism. After a first internship with Decathlon travels, a branch of the well-known retail brand focussing on sports travel experiences, Rashi found her first job in the French Alps. “I joined a company called Allibert Trekking close to Chambéry, in the South East of France. I work in Sales and Production for international markets. It’s a bit of a 360 degrees job and it’s really interesting”. Rashi now sees herself getting settled in Chambéry, at least for a couple of years, and she is excited to experience her first summer in the French Alps. In July, her employer will send her on a tour of Mont Blanc with a group of tourists. “This is just the start!” she exclaims.
About Excelia Tourism School
- 2005: date of creation
- Only French institution to be awarded a State-accredited and UNWTO-TedQual-certified qualification, since 2008
- 500 students
- 3 000 graduates
- 5 undergraduate/postgraduate programmes
- 18 permanent professors and 120 industry professional lecturers
- 1 Tourism Management Institute
- 40 research articles generated every year
- 67 academic partners
- 6 double qualifications, (3 French, 3 international)
- 90% of MSc graduates secure employment within 6 months
- 42% of MSc graduates work internationally
Read more about Excelia Tourism School
About Excelia
Created in 1988, Excelia is one of the leading French Higher Education groups. With a strong international dimension, it comprises Excelia Business School, Excelia Tourism School, and Excelia Digital School. It currently educates some 5,500 students and boasts a network of 42,000 Alumni. It holds the following labels and accreditations: EESPIG, AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA and EFMD, as well as UNWTO -TedQual (United Nations) in the field of tourism.
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