Travel agent to travel agency manager
A travel agent already meets 46% of what the travel agency manager role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.8/ 100
1 How much of what a travel agency manager is expected to do is already part of a travel agent’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 agency manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A travel agency manager role treats 16 of its required skills as things a travel agent already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas
- geographical areas relevant to tourism
- handle customer complaints
- identify customer's needs
- implement marketing strategies
What stands in the way is 20 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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A travel agency manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a travel agent background worth leading with.
- already held oversee all travel arrangements management skills
- already held use global distribution system working with computers
- already held promote the use of sustainable transport 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 develop inclusive communication material communication, collaboration and creativity
All 25 carried skills, including the 16 the travel agency manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 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 prepare travel packages required
- still to learn apply strategic thinking required
- still to learn coordinate operational activities required
- still to learn create annual marketing budget required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn motivate staff to reach sales targets required
- still to learn plan digital marketing required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- still to learn supervise crew required
- optional, not held develop working procedures optional
- optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
- still to learn build a network of suppliers in tourism required
- still to learn implement strategic planning required
- still to learn maximise sales revenues required
- still to learn negotiate supplier arrangements required
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- still to learn set up pricing strategies required
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- still to learn perform market research required
- still to learn seek innovation in current practices required
- still to learn conduct search engine optimisation required
- optional, not held manage online content optional
- still to learn tourist resources of a destination for further development required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a travel agency manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 build a network of suppliers in tourism practise this
- 02 prepare travel packages practise this
- 03 set up pricing strategies 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene 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 customer complaints skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held implement marketing strategies skill
- already held implement sales strategies skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- already held manage visitor flows in natural protected areas skill
- already held measure customer feedback skill
- already held oversee all travel arrangements skill
- already held support community-based tourism skill
- already held support local tourism skill
- already held use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held use global distribution system skill
- already held augmented reality knowledge
- already held develop inclusive communication material skill
- already held ecotourism knowledge
- already held educate on sustainable tourism skill
- already held improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- already held promote the use of sustainable transport skill
- already held promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- already held self-service technologies in tourism knowledge
- already held virtual reality knowledge
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage online content optional
- optional, not held participate in tourism events optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held develop working procedures optional
- optional, not held manage distribution channels optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
33 held skills the travel agency manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role achieve sales targets skill
- not needed by the target role advertise travel insurance skill
- not needed by the target role apply foreign languages in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role distribute local information materials skill
- not needed by the target role ensure the privacy of guests skill
- not needed by the target role execute email marketing skill
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage database skill
- not needed by the target role manage digital archives skill
- not needed by the target role manage time in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role present reports 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 produce content for tourism brochures skill
- not needed by the target role provide customised products 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 search databases skill
- not needed by the target role sell tourist packages skill
- not needed by the target role social media management knowledge
- not needed by the target role upsell products skill
- not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use customer relationship management software skill
- not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
- not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software 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.
- still to learn tourist resources of a destination for further development required
Other moves recorded from travel agent
- travel consultant 71% covered · moderate
- tour operator representative 65% covered · moderate
- hospitality establishment receptionist 53% covered · moderate
- hotel concierge 53% covered · moderate
- tourist animator 51% covered · moderate
- tourist information officer 51% covered · substantial
- hotel butler 49% covered · moderate
- hospitality entertainment manager 45% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a travel agent become a travel agency manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A travel agent already covers 46% of what a travel agency manager is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 16 of which the travel agency manager role treats as required.
What skills does a travel agent need to become a travel agency manager?
20 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is build a network of suppliers in tourism.
How hard is the move from travel agent to travel agency manager?
Its learning distance is 62.8 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.