Tourist information officer to tour organiser
A tourist information officer already meets 54% of what the tour organiser role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.1/ 100
1 How much of what a tour organiser is expected to do is already part of a tourist information officer’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 organiser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tour organiser role treats 13 of its required skills as things a tourist information officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply foreign languages in tourism
- build a network of suppliers in tourism
- build business relationships
- engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas
- geographical areas relevant to tourism
- handle personal identifiable information
What stands in the way is 11 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 tour organiser role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tourist information officer background worth leading with.
- 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
- already held local area tourism industry services
All 21 carried skills, including the 13 the tour organiser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 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 inform tourist groups on logistical times required
- still to learn organise entry to attractions required
- still to learn liaise with guest facilities providers required
- still to learn assist clients with special needs required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held ensure infrastructure accessibility optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn organise transportation of tour groups required
- still to learn coordinate performance tours required
- still to learn oversee all travel arrangements required
- optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
- still to learn welcome tour groups required
- still to learn check travel documentation required
- still to learn manage health and safety standards required
- still to learn handle veterinary emergencies required
- optional, not held read maps optional
- optional, not held tourist resources of a destination for further development optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tour organiser role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inform tourist groups on logistical times practise this
- 02 organise entry to attractions practise this
- 03 organise transportation of tour groups 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 build business relationships 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 local area tourism industry knowledge
- 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 perform services in a flexible manner skill
- already held support community-based tourism skill
- already held support local tourism 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 use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held virtual reality knowledge
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held tourist resources of a destination for further development optional
- optional, not held ensure infrastructure accessibility optional
- optional, not held plan medium to long term objectives optional
- optional, not held read maps optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
26 held skills the tour organiser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply social media marketing skill
- not needed by the target role assist visitors skill
- not needed by the target role collect tourist information skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate efforts of stakeholders for destination promotion skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate intercultural competences in hospitality services skill
- not needed by the target role develop tourist information materials skill
- not needed by the target role devise special promotions skill
- not needed by the target role distribute local information materials skill
- not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role integrate content into output media skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer records skill
- not needed by the target role organise cultural events skill
- not needed by the target role process booking skill
- not needed by the target role process payments skill
- not needed by the target role process reservations skill
- not needed by the target role produce content for tourism brochures skill
- not needed by the target role provide directions to guests skill
- not needed by the target role provide tourism related information skill
- not needed by the target role quote prices skill
- not needed by the target role respond to customers' inquiries skill
- not needed by the target role sell souvenirs skill
- not needed by the target role sell tickets skill
- not needed by the target role work in a hospitality team 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 tourist resources of a destination for further development optional
Other moves recorded from tourist information officer
Common questions about this move
Can a tourist information officer become a tour organiser?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A tourist information officer already covers 54% of what a tour organiser is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 13 of which the tour organiser role treats as required.
What skills does a tourist information officer need to become a tour organiser?
11 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is inform tourist groups on logistical times.
How hard is the move from tourist information officer to tour organiser?
Its learning distance is 54.1 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.