Tourist information centre manager to tour operator representative
A tourist information centre manager already meets 52% of what the tour operator representative role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.9/ 100
1 How much of what a tour operator representative is expected to do is already part of a tourist information centre 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 tour operator representative role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tour operator representative role treats 15 of its required skills as things a tourist information centre manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply foreign languages in tourism
- assist clients with special needs
- build a network of suppliers in tourism
- create solutions to problems
- ecotourism
- educate on sustainable tourism
What stands in the way is 14 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tour operator representative role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tourist information centre manager background worth leading with.
- already held prepare travel packages management skills
- 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 self-service technologies in tourism information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held manage visitor flows in natural protected areas information skills
- already held handle personal identifiable information assisting and caring
All 22 carried skills, including the 15 the tour operator representative role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 5 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 provide performance feedback required
- still to learn work in a hospitality team required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn develop inclusive communication material required
- still to learn handle customer complaints required
- still to learn provide customised products required
- still to learn upsell products required
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
- still to learn collect tourist information required
- still to learn measure customer feedback required
- still to learn process booking required
- still to learn devise special promotions required
- still to learn make logistical arrangements required
- still to learn process payments required
- still to learn manage health and safety standards required
- optional, not held manage the customer experience optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tour operator representative role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 provide performance feedback practise this
- 02 collect tourist information practise this
- 03 work in a hospitality team 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 22 skills that carry over
- already held apply foreign languages in tourism skill
- already held assist clients with special needs skill
- already held build a network of suppliers in tourism skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held ecotourism knowledge
- already held educate on sustainable tourism skill
- already held engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas skill
- already held geographical areas relevant to tourism knowledge
- already held handle personal identifiable information skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- already held manage visitor flows in natural protected areas skill
- already held self-service technologies in tourism knowledge
- already held support community-based tourism skill
- already held support local tourism skill
- already held ensure infrastructure accessibility skill
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- already held maintain customer records skill
- already held prepare travel packages skill
- already held promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- already held use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held virtual reality knowledge
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held implement sales strategies optional
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
- optional, not held implement marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held manage the customer experience optional
- optional, not held negotiate service with providers optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
30 held skills the tour operator representative role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse data about clients skill
- not needed by the target role assess an area as a tourism destination skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate operational activities skill
- not needed by the target role design materials for multimedia campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role design press kit for media skill
- not needed by the target role develop financial statistics reports skill
- not needed by the target role develop strategies for accessibility skill
- not needed by the target role develop tourist information materials skill
- not needed by the target role distribute local information materials skill
- not needed by the target role handle touristic quantitative data skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role keep up to date on local events skill
- not needed by the target role local area tourism industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage medium term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage website 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 shifts of employees skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role provide tourism related information skill
- not needed by the target role read maps skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role respond to customers' inquiries skill
- not needed by the target role tourism market knowledge
- not needed by the target role train employees 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.
- optional, not held augmented reality optional
Other moves recorded from tourist information centre manager
Common questions about this move
Can a tourist information centre manager become a tour operator representative?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A tourist information centre manager already covers 52% of what a tour operator representative is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 15 of which the tour operator representative role treats as required.
What skills does a tourist information centre manager need to become a tour operator representative?
14 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is provide performance feedback.
How hard is the move from tourist information centre manager to tour operator representative?
Its learning distance is 54.9 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.