Tourist guide to travel consultant
A tourist guide already meets 41% of what the travel consultant role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.8/ 100
1 How much of what a travel consultant is expected to do is already part of a tourist guide’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 travel consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A travel consultant role treats 10 of its required skills as things a tourist guide already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply foreign languages in tourism
- build a network of suppliers in tourism
- ecotourism
- educate on sustainable tourism
- geographical areas relevant to tourism
- handle customer complaints
What stands in the way is 16 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 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A travel consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tourist guide background worth leading with.
- already held follow ethical code of conduct in tourism assisting and caring
- already held demonstrate intercultural competences in hospitality services communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held build a network of suppliers in tourism communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply foreign languages in tourism communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held geographical areas relevant to tourism services
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality working with computers
All 21 carried skills, including the 10 the travel consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 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 customise travel package required
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn sell tourist packages required
- still to learn advertise travel insurance required
- still to learn devise tailor-made tourism itineraries required
- still to learn upsell products required
- optional, not held support community-based tourism optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held develop inclusive communication material optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- still to learn oversee all travel arrangements required
- still to learn plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage required
- still to learn process payments required
- optional, not held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage optional
- optional, not held oversee the printing of touristic publications optional
- optional, not held oversee the design of touristic publications optional
- optional, not held plan events optional
- still to learn measure sustainability of tourism activities required
- still to learn maintain customer records required
- still to learn process booking required
- still to learn use customer relationship management software required
- still to learn use global distribution system required
- optional, not held manage online content optional
- still to learn guarantee customer satisfaction required
- optional, not held plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held comply with food safety and hygiene optional
- still to learn self-service technologies in tourism required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a travel consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 customise travel package practise this
- 02 guarantee customer satisfaction practise this
- 03 identify customer's needs 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 21 skills that carry over
- already held apply foreign languages in tourism skill
- already held build a network of suppliers in tourism skill
- already held ecotourism knowledge
- already held educate on sustainable tourism skill
- already held geographical areas relevant to tourism knowledge
- already held handle customer complaints skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held provide tourism related information skill
- already held use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held assist clients with special needs skill
- already held augmented reality knowledge
- already held demonstrate intercultural competences in hospitality services skill
- already held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas skill
- already held follow ethical code of conduct in tourism skill
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- already held promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- already held read maps skill
- already held support local tourism skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held virtual reality knowledge
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage optional
- optional, not held manage online content optional
- optional, not held oversee the printing of touristic publications optional
- optional, not held plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas optional
- optional, not held support community-based tourism optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held comply with food safety and hygiene optional
- optional, not held develop inclusive communication material optional
- optional, not held oversee the design of touristic publications optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- optional, not held plan events optional
37 held skills the travel consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role administer tour contract details skill
- not needed by the target role advise on nature conservation skill
- not needed by the target role animal species knowledge
- not needed by the target role assemble visitor supplies skill
- not needed by the target role collect visitor fees skill
- not needed by the target role conduct educational activities skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role distribute local information materials skill
- not needed by the target role ensure health and safety of visitors skill
- not needed by the target role environmental impact of tourism knowledge
- not needed by the target role escort visitors to places of interest skill
- not needed by the target role handle personal identifiable information skill
- not needed by the target role identify plants characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role inform visitors at tour sites skill
- not needed by the target role inspire enthusiasm for nature skill
- not needed by the target role local area tourism industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role local geography knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain incident reporting records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationships with doctors skill
- not needed by the target role manage tourist groups skill
- not needed by the target role measure customer feedback skill
- not needed by the target role monitor visitor tours skill
- not needed by the target role natural areas maintenance knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role plant species knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote recreation activities skill
- not needed by the target role provide visitor information skill
- not needed by the target role register visitors skill
- not needed by the target role research visitor tours skill
- not needed by the target role select visitor routes skill
- not needed by the target role sightseeing information knowledge
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role tourism market knowledge
- not needed by the target role tourism sector policies knowledge
- not needed by the target role train guides skill
- not needed by the target role transport visitors skill
- not needed by the target role welcome tour groups skill
1 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 self-service technologies in tourism required
Common questions about this move
Can a tourist guide become a travel consultant?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tourist guide already covers 41% of what a travel consultant is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 10 of which the travel consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a tourist guide need to become a travel consultant?
16 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is customise travel package.
How hard is the move from tourist guide to travel consultant?
Its learning distance is 65.8 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.