Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
•
A smart appearance;
•
Marketing - working on brochure production,
market research, point-of-sale (POS) merchandising,
press and PR;
•
Good organisational skills;
•
An interest in IT and good keyboard skills;
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Customer service - handling enquiries by 'phone,
fax, e-mail and letter;
•
The ability to work accurately under pressure;
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Operations - helping with programming of fl ights
•
A confi dent telephone manner.
and accommodation for a season;
Staff who learn quickly and perform well can expect
to progress quickly in travel agency work to become
supervisors, assistant managers and branch managers.
Working for one of the large travel agency chains means
that staff can transfer to similar positions in different
parts of the country.
•
Contracting - negotiating rates for accommodation
with hotels, airlines, etc.
•
Overseas - representatives (reps), children's couriers,
entertainers and co-ordinating overseas operations,
e.g. staffi ng, customer support, etc.
•
Human resources and training - helping with
Activity 6.1
all aspects of staff recruitment, management,
promotion, etc.
Carry out some research in the travel trade press
(
Travel Trade Gazette, Travel Weekly, etc.
) and the
internet to fi nd two travel agency jobs - one in
leisure travel and one in business travel. Write down
all the key facts about the jobs, such as job title,
salary, duties, location, responsibilities, training,
skills/experience/qualities required, opportunities
for progression, etc. Make notes on the similarities
and differences of the two posts, taking into account
the entry levels and opportunities for promotion and
progression.
•
Finance, administration and IT systems - jobs in
support of the principal company operations.
Tour operators look for different skills and experience
depending on the nature of the job, although general
qualities such as a good telephone manner, an
outgoing personality, the ability to listen, tact and
diplomacy, good decision-making skills, and excellent
administrative and computer skills are key requirements
in many posts. Jobs that involve working with children
will require the applicant to have a CRB (Criminal
Records Bureau) check prior to appointment.
This activity is designed to provide evidence for
P1 and M1.
Opportunities in transport
Opportunities in tour operations
Transport is a very broad industry covering travel by air,
sea and land. Job opportunities are offered by many
companies, for example:
Tour operators are the companies that put together the
holidays that travel agents sell. They vary in size from
large organisations such as Thomas Cook and Cosmos
to smaller, specialist companies. Most job opportunities
are UK-based, but the larger tour operators have a
number of vacancies overseas in resort areas. Specifi c
opportunities occur in:
•
Airlines and airports;
•
Ferry companies;
•
Car hire fi rms;
•
Coach operators;
•
Train companies;
•
Cruise lines;
•
Sales - dealing with enquiries from travel agents
and selling direct to the public;
•
Inland waterways, e.g. barge operators.
•
Product development - helping to develop holidays
Specifi c skills and requirements will vary depending on
the nature of the job, but common skills and qualities
to new destinations;
