Tourism manager profession: responsibilities, skills, requirements

Tourism manager is a profession that many dream of. Recently, traveling abroad has become especially fashionable, so such specialists are very popular and in demand in the labor market.

What are the features and prospects of the profession? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this specialty? What are the requirements of employers? Read more about this in our material.

In terms of a brief description of the profession, the job of a tourism manager is to make your travel dreams come true. However, this description is rather romanticized. The fact is that many people who love to travel aspire to become tourism managers. but it should be borne in mind that traveling on your own and helping other people organize travel are completely different and little related things.

Thus, the work of a tourism manager is quite multifunctional and consists in solving a number of problems. Depending on the specific place of work, bosses and job descriptions, responsibilities can vary significantly. So, in some travel agencies and companies you can find versatile specialists who, in terms of their functionality, are jack of all trades and can perform almost any task.

In larger companies, the internal structure is completely different: in such firms, there are ticket managers, specialists who directly communicate with clients, legal staff who provide assistance with obtaining visas and insurance, as well as other highly specialized professionals.

Like any other profession, the position of a tour manager is characterized by many advantages and disadvantages. That is why, before you go to study in this direction or find a job for a position, you should familiarize yourself with all the characteristics.

First of all, consider benefits of work.

• Perspective and career growth. The tourism industry is fast growing and popular, so there is a constant demand for professional staff. Accordingly, getting such a profession, you can be sure that in the future you will be provided with a place of work.
• The ability to travel. Despite the fact that in itself the routine work of a tourism manager is not associated with constant travel, there is a possibility that you will go on regular business trips or even work abroad. In addition, the company's employees often receive discounts on the purchase of tours.
• High level of wages. Due to the fact that for the most part travel companies are private business organizations, highly qualified specialists with relevant work experience, knowledge, skills and professional skills can count on a fairly large material remuneration for their work.

However, despite the large number of positive characteristics of the profession, there are also negative points.

• High stress levels. In the process of work, tourism managers on an ongoing basis have to solve a variety of issues and force majeure. For example, customers canceled an order at the last moment, they cannot complete the appropriate documents, canceled a flight, there are no free rooms in the hotel, and so on. At the same time, even in such situations, the manager must remain calm and professional. Only in this way will it be possible to resolve this or that controversial issue, as well as satisfy customers.
• A responsibility. The fulfillment of official duties contains a high level of responsibility. So, the tour manager has to deal with the personal data of clients, their confidential information, with large amounts. All this implies a responsible, attentive and disciplined work of a specialist.
• Seasonality. Despite the fact that travel around the world is available at any time of the year, the work of travel agencies is seasonal. You will have to act most actively during the holidays and vacations, while outside these time periods passive periods may occur. Accordingly, your income can change regardless of your efforts.

A manager working in a travel agency provides a fairly wide range of services. So, his responsibilities include communicating with the client, booking tickets, interacting with government agencies regarding paperwork and much more. In this regard, the tour manager must know all the internal processes of the company.

Let's consider in more detail and specifically what a tourism manager does:

• is engaged in the development and construction of tourist routes;
• organizes excursions;
• comes up with entertainment programs;
• book tickets for airplanes, trains, buses;
• book places in hotels, hotels, hostels;
• negotiates with international partners;
• prepares documents (for example, visas, insurance, and others);
• prepares and sells complete travel programs;
• conducts marketing campaigns;
• accepts calls;
• advises clients (in person, by phone, via e-mail).

In order for a tourism manager to be able to perform his professional functions at the highest level, he must meet some of the requirements put forward by employers.

For example, large and prestigious travel companies will employ only those specialists who have specialized higher education. Some employers accept specialists with any higher education, and small firms can hire a person who has completed the appropriate courses.

One way or another, there are other, more general requirements. These include Knowledge of foreign languages... Moreover, the more languages ​​you know, the more serious your advantage over other applicants.

Also important be pretty confident and outgoing. Ability to speak beautifully Is an important trait of any tourism manager, as he spends a significant part of his time talking with clients.

Selling skills will be a definite plus, because you have to persuade the client to use the services of your travel company. And also the ability to keep a large amount of information in the head and a good memory are of great importance.

A tourism manager needs to know and be able to do quite a lot. This applies to both professional characteristics and personal qualities and character traits. Let's take a look at a few skills that every tour manager will need.

• Non-conflict. This character trait will be relevant for all employees of the travel company. The fact is that not every client or business partner of yours will be satisfied with the services or cooperation. In this regard, conflict and stressful situations may arise that need to be able to smooth out.
• Ability to make decisions independently. In the process of work, controversial difficult situations may arise when you will not have the opportunity to think about the situation for a long time or contact your superiors. In this case, you will have to make a decision rather quickly and independently, as well as be ready to take responsibility for it.
• Sociability. Communication with clients and business partners is an essential part of a travel manager's job. Therefore, such a profession may not suit a closed and shy person.
• Possession of computer programs. A tourism manager should be an experienced and active user of both the computer and the Internet. In the process, you will need to use a variety of planning and reporting programs. You also need to be able to find the information you need anytime, anywhere.
• Knowledge of the tourist market. It is very important to navigate all new trends and fashion trends. Only in this way, as a specialist, you will remain relevant and competitive in the labor market, and your company, in turn, will be popular among customers.
• Marketing knowledge. You must know the basics of the advertising business, be able to correctly present information about your activities, as well as about the activities of your company.

Each tour manager receives a salary for his work. Moreover, it can be formed in different ways.So, some agencies offer their employees a clearly defined rate, and the salary of other specialists depends on the number of tours they have issued and sold. In addition, the size of the salary depends on the position of the employee in the company: whether he is the head of a department or an assistant. In general, the tour manager earns an amount in the range from 20,000 to 100,000 rubles (and sometimes even more).

The relevance of the profession in the field of tourism and hotel business is increasing every year. In this regard, new travel companies and agencies are constantly appearing on the territory of our country. Young specialists start their career path in such organizations. However, over time, many of them create their own company with a large number of subordinates, or they become individual entrepreneurs and provide services privately.

Almost every young professional starts his career in the tourism industry by applying for a job in a travel agency. Often, those who have just graduated from the university are hired as an assistant, secretary or assistant to an already established tourism manager. In this position, the young man is trained in the basics of the profession.

After that, you can get the position of a tour manager directly and be fully responsible for the preparation of tours. Moving up the career ladder you can become the head of a department, a branch, or even a whole company.

In addition, you can become a highly specialized specialist. For example, managers who can organize a business trip (for example, to a business forum or conference) are popular. And also the organization of individual tours (for example, for representatives of show business) is considered a prestigious job.

If you want to get a specialized education as a tourism manager and become a highly qualified specialist, then after school you need to enter the appropriate educational institution. So, after the 11th grade, you can go to higher education institutions (universities), and after the 9th grade, you can go to college. Here you will get all the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities from scratch. Besides, some universities help their graduates with internships, internships and even employment.

To obtain a specialty, you need to take well-defined subjects, which you should inquire about at the admissions office of your chosen university.

Due to the fact that obtaining higher education takes quite a long time, this option is not suitable for everyone. Many take distance learning, complete specialized courses. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that a person with a diploma will have an advantage in the employment process.

People involved in tourism have different opinions about their work. For example, many people become disenchanted with the profession, as it is (for the most part) regular office work, rather than constant travel and creative campaigns. In this regard, very it is important to evaluate in advance all the advantages and disadvantages of the profession, as well as your strengths and weaknesses, so that you do not regret the chosen career path later.

On the other hand, many tour managers speak positively about their position and say that it, if desired and persistent, can bring high income... And also many are attracted by corporate discounts for tours.

In general, the choice is yours. But remember that there are both positive and negative traits in this area.