Career Research Report on Travel Sales Consultant in Travel and Tourism Industry

The report is about career research conducted by visiting the company where graduates can look for job and start their career. In the report the focus is put on travel and tourism industry and the selected profile is Travel Sales Consultant. The report specifies various new trends that are occurring in the travel industry and selected job profile. It also highlights various skills, knowledge and area of expertise essential for a candidate to apply for a consultants post in travel sector. Evaluation and conclusion is drawn keeping in view the necessary information drawn from the interview with the HR Manager of Prospects 4 Leisure Travel.

Running Head: CAREER RESEARCH REPORT 1
Career Research Report
(Student Details)

CAREER RESEARCH REPORT 2
Executive Summary
The report is about career research conducted by visiting the company where graduates can look
for job and start their career. In the report the focus is put on travel and tourism industry and the
selected profile is Travel Sales Consultant. The report specifies various new trends that are
occurring in the travel industry and selected job profile. It also highlights various skills,
knowledge and area of expertise essential for a candidate to apply for a consultants post in travel
sector. Evaluation and conclusion is drawn keeping in view the necessary information drawn
from the interview with the HR Manager of Prospects 4 Leisure Travel.

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Analysis and Application.............................................................................................................................3
General trends impacts............................................................................................................................3
Changing trends in travel sales consultant job.....................................................................................3
Recent trends and expectations from a travel sales consultant.............................................................4
Changing trends in travel and tourism industry...................................................................................4
Skills and Knowledge to become a Travel Sales Consultant...............................................................5
Evaluation...................................................................................................................................................8
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................9
References.................................................................................................................................................10
Appendices................................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
The report is about importance of selecting the right career after graduation. Having a career will
give us a direction and a purpose in life. A right career selection will make us aware about our
strength and weaknesses. I have interest in travel and tourism industry, and as a graduate student
I would want to work as a Travel Sales Consultant with Prospects 4 Leisure Travel. The aim of
this report is to highlight opportunities available for a graduate in travel and tourism sector, and
to determine essential skills requirement to grab the available opportunity. The reason behind
choosing this industry is my interest for travel. I want to explore different countries of the world,
experience variety of cuisines, and learn more about various cultures. Meeting new people and
knowing about life in other countries is my passion. When profession is mixed with passion, it
brings great success to the person. Therefore, I can enter the travel industry as a Travel Sales
Consultant and later on look for ways to grow and get promoted with a better job profile in the
same company.
Analysis and Application
General trends impacts
Changing trends in travel sales consultant job
The world is changing in an unpredictable way; globalization has increased the level of standards
of a consultant in the travel sector. A person working as a travel sales consultant has to be a
person having great expertise knowledge about different destinations all around the world with
the ability to attract the clients to fall for the customized services designed for them. In order to
meet the client expectations and changing trends in travel industry, the travel sales consultant has
to do the following:
 Research and study different travel options
 Research destinations with prices, weather conditions, customs and reviews
 Study the client wishes and specifications
 Suggest personalized travel options
 Keep knowledge about recent technology trends

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 Maintain relationships with customers
 Track KPI’s and prepare reports (TalentLYFT, 2019)
Recent trends and expectations from a travel sales consultant
1. To suggest unusual accommodation that is attractive and suitable for holidays.
2. To plan travel guide for solo travelers, including those who are traveling for business
work.
3. Provide real time access to information about the journey (Bezjak, 2019).
4. Provide over packed itineraries, as it attracts young travelers.
5. Suggest those destinations which have scenic views, to allow the traveler to flaunt the
pictures on instagram.
6. Last minute travel packages
Changing trends in travel and tourism industry
In the present, the global travel industries face multiple challenges and force the professionals to
meet the changing requirements of customers both offline and online. The new evolving
technology is not only influencing the travel industry but also increasing customer expectations.
Advanced technology creates the tides for the industries to develop tendencies and navigate
freely to maintain the digital travel ecosystem. The following are the few trends that impact the
travel industries:
 Personalization
Personalized services is the biggest priority for modern travelers, they believe that process of
standard traveling is not applicable any longer. Personalized approach provides more as an
expectation than being extraordinary (Kutschera, 2019). The travel industries are introducing
customized offerings and services to their clients.
 Recognition technology
The recognition technology is an example of high-tech advancement. It includes facial
recognition, fingerprints, retina scanning and other biometric methods for identifying the clients.
This technology will provide better authentication and security aims.

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 Robots
Robots are capable of performing multiple tasks at a time, from cognitive functions to the
physical ones. The change in tourist habits is the main reason behind introduction of robots in
this field. It motivates travel agencies, hotels and other related business to use artificial
intelligence at work and create wonders.
 Augmented and virtual reality
The market for entertainment sector is gained by the virtual technology; the travel experts have
realized its importance and consider it as the most promising travel trend (Vaidya, 2018). This
trend allows the customer to feel the virtual surrounding of the place digitally.
 Blockchain
This technology has exploded the digital world and is a vogue notion to many individuals. The
success of travel industries depends on how fast they adapt this technology. This technology
mainly refers to digital currencies and the concept of secure transactions. The important data is
transferred in special clusters keeping the data very secure and traceable.
Skills and Knowledge to become a Travel Sales Consultant
The job of a travel sales consultant is far more from just making bookings and detailing the
itineraries. They handle other areas as well, such as, travel emergencies, excursions and tour. The
job for travel sales consultant has increasing over the years. People have begun to travel more
due to work, business or holiday purpose. The requirements for knowledge and expertise include
the following:
 Proficiency in English and knowledge of additional language will add as an advantage
 Exemplary skills in sales
 Excellent knowledge about traveling software, such as, GDS, computer reservations
systems and e-travel (Middleton, 2009)
 Proven experience as a travel consultant
 Ability to use promotional techniques and prepare materials to sell itinerary packages
 Well versed with different areas of travel
o Domestic/International

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o Business/Holiday
o Group/Individual (Middleton, 2009)
 Ability to communicate, present and persuade effectively
 Ability to handle crises and conflicts
 Ability to supply travelers with pertinent information
 Degree in travel, tourism, hospitality, business or any other relevant field
 Personal travel experiences (Prospects4leisuretravel, 2019)
With the help of these requirements; the personal skills and expertise area of knowledge is
determined and explained below:
Personal skills
 Attributes
A person who wants to become a travel consultant should have detailed orientation skills, and
should be trustworthy. The ability to work effectively under pressure, should share an
imagination for adventure and familiarity in different aspects of traveling that might help them to
advance the clients experiences (Travind, 2019). A consultant should know how to apply
problem solving techniques to accommodate client’s requests, deal with entertainment,
transportation and food requirements.
 Customer service skills
Though the profile is related to sales and marketing, it is essential for a consultant to have
customer service skills as well. Should have skills for speaking and listening on phone and
explain details regarding the travel over the phone at any time (Evans & Campbell, 2012). The
way of communication totally depends on the client’s choice. If the client wants to follow up
with email communication, it requires strong writing abilities as well
(Prospects4CorpoprateTravel, 2019). They should have adequate knowledge to use reservation
applications. Keeping knowledge of different languages, cultures and world geography enables
them to perform well in this job profile.
 Education

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A person can become an agent with basic education, as on the job training and standard practice
helps them to enhance knowledge in this field. However, the recruiter prefers candidates who
have taken classes for travel management course. A degree in travel and tourism will increase the
skills for marketability (Brunot, 2019). Regardless of their education and experience, they must
stay well versed with the current industrial development and travel security all over the world.
 Professional Certification
Certification through a reputed travel institute will give a better opportunity to travel consultants
that will solidify their professionalism (Brunot, 2019). The beginners can pursue National Travel
Agent Proficiency Certification or a TAP Certification (Colbert, 2009). The certification course
is for 18 months and conducts several exams. There are many other travel courses for people
having higher experience in this field.
 Sales and Marketing skills
A consultant should have great sales and marketing skills to actively market the travel services
even if he/she is working for an agency (Robinson, et al., 2016). They need to have a client base
that should be grown by attracting new customers, this demand for more creativity and
innovation strategies to increase sales.

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Evaluation
Working in a travel Company is in trend these days for graduates. People having passion for
travel can really enjoy this profession. Prospects 4 Leisure Travel is a leading recruitment agency
for placing candidates in the best travel jobs. They place candidates who are looking forward to
hold a permanent position in travel industry. They have many openings for graduates; the most
suitable job for me is the travel sales consultant’s job. Prospects 4 Leisure Travel is hiring for
UK based tour operator. Their basic requirement is that the person should have good
communication skill as it is a hard core commission based sales job. The candidate should have
understanding skills related to long haul products and ability to deliver the same to the client in a
very impressive level. The candidate should have excellent skills to serve the customers and
imaginative skills to sell luxury packages.
I want to opt for this job role, as I am very passionate about traveling the world and discovering
geographical facts about unknown places in the world. Through this job I can also gain
knowledge regarding various languages and cultures of the world. If given a chance, I would like
to refer the same opportunity to other people who has passion for traveling. It is considered that
travel industry is going to flourish in the coming years, and the employees have a bright future.
This work profile will be recognized in the future and can help in developing the world
economy.

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Conclusion
From this report, it can be concluded that there is a lot of scope for graduates to start their career
in travel and tourism industry. It is the best platform for graduates, who have interest for
traveling, wildlife and adventures. A person seeking job in Travel Company should have
excellent negotiating and communication skills to attract the clients and make sales. Marketing
and sales in every field is a skilled based job and needs expert convincing power to increase
sales.
There is no specific education or qualification to obtain a job in travel sector, but a person who
has done a certificate course or has CTP Certification can do excel in travel industry. The
changing trends in this industry demands for more professionalism and accuracy in the field.

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References
Bezjak, T., 2019. 9 trends & expectations for travel agents in 2019. [Online]
Available at: https://www.lemax.net/blog/9-trends-expectations-travel-agencies-2019/
[Accessed 18 7 2019].
Brunot, T., 2019. What Qualifications Are Needed to Become a Travel Consultant?. [Online]
Available at: https://work.chron.com/qualifications-needed-become-travel-consultant-
10950.html
[Accessed 18 7 2019].
Colbert, J., 2009. Career Opportunities in the Travel Industry. New York: Infobase Publishing.
Evans, N. & Campbell, D., 2012. Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism. Oxfordshire:
Taylor & Francis.
Kutschera, S., 2019. 9 Travel Trends. [Online]
Available at: https://www.trekksoft.com/en/blog/9-travel-trends-that-will-drive-the-tourism-
industry-in-2019
[Accessed 18 7 2019].
Middleton, V. T., 2009. Marketing in Travel and Tourism. New York: Routledge.
Prospects4CorpoprateTravel, 2019. OUR MISSION IS TO UNCOVER NEW TALENT, THE
FUTURE LEADERS AND PIONEERS OF OUR INDUSTRY. [Online]
Available at: https://www.prospects4corporatetravel.com/candidates#!/
[Accessed 19 7 2019].
Prospects4leisuretravel, 2019. Travel specialists in Activity, Sport, Music, Luxury and Niche
leisure travel recruitment. [Online]
Available at: http://www.prospects4leisuretravel.com/
[Accessed 19 7 2019].
Robinson, P., Fallon, P. & Cameron, H., 2016. Operations Management in the Travel Industry,
2nd Edition. Oxfordshire: CABI.

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TalentLYFT, 2019. Travel Consultant job description template. [Online]
Available at: https://www.talentlyft.com/en/resources/travel-consultant-job-description
[Accessed 18 7 2019].
Travind, 2019. Top 10 skills and qualities required for travel consultant. [Online]
Available at: https://travindinstitute.com/blog/travel-consultant-qualifications
[Accessed 18 7 2019].
Vaidya, S., 2018. How Technology is Revolutionizing the Travel & Tourism Domain. [Online]
Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/318671
[Accessed 18 7 2019].

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Appendices
Interview Transcript
The following transcript is regarding an interview conducted with the HR Manager of Prospects
4 Leisure Travel. This company recruits suitable candidate and place them in different
organizations in many countries. Initially it was very difficult to convince him to clear my doubts
regarding job profiles in this sector.
The interview begun with my introduction, I told him that I am a student of Bucks New
University and have interest to work with travel companies. I mentioned him that I am very
passionate about traveling the world and want to start my future in this field. He was impressed
to learn about my interest. Soon after this, I requested him to share some information about the
company and the recruitment process. He stated that the company is very supportive towards
graduates and consider them if they have the correct personality for this industry and relevant
skills to display it on the table. He asked me that I can apply for job if can speak multiple
languages and if I am passionate about wildlife or art. All these qualities will increase my chance
to get selected for the niche role and help me start my career. Another important thing that he
discussed is the relocation factor, as they place selected candidates to different location all
around the world. They only welcome those applicants who have work visas and can handle
interviews with people having different culture and language. In this case they provide free
relocation services as a relaxation to the new graduates.
He also told me about that sister company of which I was unaware, a candidate looking for
working in corporate travel agencies can contact their sister company, Prospects 4 Corporate
Travel. Their sister company is an expert for providing corporate travel recruitment to candidates
who wants to deal with business sales travel and consultant. The manager offered me that he can
arrange my interview with the HR Manager of Prospects 4 Corporate Travel next week. The
sister company is in an urgent need of candidates with exceptional organizational skills and IT
knowledge to handle this sector for business travel. In this profile the candidates will be provided
with free online training facility for designing payment plans, determining competitive rates for
travel packages and online timesheets, to brush up their skill.

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Once the HR Manager delivered all the information about the company and its sister branch, he
asked me if I had any queries; thereafter, I began to ask him about the specific skills and
knowledge required to work in this filed. He described that a person with excellent
communication skill and negotiating power will be given a preference. There is no specific
qualification requirement in this field but a person who has obtained a certificate course with
travel institute or Travel Agent Proficiency Certification will be given a higher preference.
I was curious about knowing the clients requirements, and asked the manager to deliver the
information regarding the same. He stated that the company has a long and trusted relationship
with their clients, who even recommend to other travel companies to hire their candidates
because of their effective work and commitment towards extra miles and do not waste the
resources of the client company. Prospects have clients from all over the world.
In the interview I asked the manager to help me decide whether I can start my career in this field
and will I be able to build my future in this field. The manager replied by showing his concern
towards my doubt, and said that these days a lot of people travel due to work, business and
vacations. Travel has become a trend and more professionalism is expected to be followed in the
coming years; different people have different criteria and requirements. People traveling for
work and business purpose will demand for more realistic and upgraded packages; whereas,
people going on vacations will get fascinated by a package that delivers more comfort and
luxury.
By the end of this interview, I recognized that I have selected the right industry and profession
and can start building my career with the help of Prospects 4 Leisure Travel.

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