Tour operator manager to tourism product manager
A tour operator manager already meets 55% of what the tourism product manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
57.1/ 100
1 How much of what a tourism product manager is expected to do is already part of a tour operator manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the tourism product manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tourism product manager role treats 20 of its required skills as things a tour operator manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- build a network of suppliers in tourism
- build business relationships
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- create annual marketing budget
- develop tourism destinations
- develop tourism products
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tourism product manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tour operator manager background worth leading with.
- already held develop tourism destinations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held develop tourism products communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage production of destination promotional materials communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage distribution of destination promotional materials communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held build a network of suppliers in tourism communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held tourism market services
All 27 carried skills, including the 20 the tourism product manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn implement sales strategies required
- still to learn participate in tourism events required
- still to learn produce content for tourism brochures required
- still to learn create new concepts required
- still to learn implement marketing strategies required
- still to learn negotiate supplier arrangements required
- optional, not held utilise cross-selling optional
- optional, not held apply foreign languages in tourism optional
- optional, not held develop inclusive communication material optional
- still to learn develop travel charter programme required
- still to learn carry out inventory planning required
- still to learn plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage required
- still to learn manage medium term objectives required
- still to learn monitor contractor performance required
- optional, not held manage yield optional
- still to learn assess an area as a tourism destination required
- still to learn measure sustainability of tourism activities required
- still to learn geographical areas relevant to tourism required
- still to learn tourist resources of a destination for further development required
- still to learn plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas required
- still to learn market analysis required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tourism product manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop travel charter programme practise this
- 02 assess an area as a tourism destination practise this
- 03 carry out inventory planning practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 27 skills that carry over
- already held build a network of suppliers in tourism skill
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held create annual marketing budget skill
- already held develop tourism destinations skill
- already held develop tourism products skill
- already held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held manage distribution channels skill
- already held manage distribution of destination promotional materials skill
- already held manage production of destination promotional materials skill
- already held plan medium to long term objectives skill
- already held sales strategies knowledge
- already held set up pricing strategies skill
- already held support community-based tourism skill
- already held support local tourism skill
- already held tourism market knowledge
- already held use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held augmented reality knowledge
- already held ecotourism knowledge
- already held educate on sustainable tourism skill
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- already held promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- already held self-service technologies in tourism knowledge
- already held virtual reality knowledge
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held utilise cross-selling optional
- optional, not held apply foreign languages in tourism optional
- optional, not held develop inclusive communication material optional
- optional, not held manage yield optional
24 held skills the tourism product manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role coordinate operational activities skill
- not needed by the target role develop revenue generation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop strategies for accessibility skill
- not needed by the target role develop working procedures skill
- not needed by the target role handle personal identifiable information skill
- not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage visitor flows in natural protected areas skill
- not needed by the target role maximise sales revenues skill
- not needed by the target role measure customer feedback skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate tourism experience purchases skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate tourism rates skill
- not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
- not needed by the target role oversee the design of touristic publications skill
- not needed by the target role oversee the printing of touristic publications skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role plan marketing strategy skill
- not needed by the target role prepare travel packages skill
- not needed by the target role property management software knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide customised products skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role select optimal distribution channel skill
- not needed by the target role translate strategy into operation skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn geographical areas relevant to tourism required
- still to learn tourist resources of a destination for further development required
- still to learn market analysis required
Other moves recorded from tour operator manager
- destination manager 56% covered · substantial
- travel agency manager 52% covered · substantial
- tour operator representative 45% covered · substantial
- tourist information centre manager 44% covered · substantial
- tour organiser 42% covered · substantial
- tourist animator 39% covered · substantial
- customer experience manager 34% covered · substantial
- accommodation manager 31% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a tour operator manager become a tourism product manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tour operator manager already covers 55% of what a tourism product manager is expected to do: 27 skills carry over, 20 of which the tourism product manager role treats as required.
What skills does a tour operator manager need to become a tourism product manager?
17 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is develop travel charter programme.
How hard is the move from tour operator manager to tourism product manager?
Its learning distance is 57.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.