Travel consultant to travel agent
A travel consultant already meets 59% of what the travel agent role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.5/ 100
1 How much of what a travel agent is expected to do is already part of a travel consultant’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 agent role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A travel agent role treats 24 of its required skills as things a travel consultant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advertise travel insurance
- apply foreign languages in tourism
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- develop inclusive communication material
- 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 31 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A travel agent role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a travel consultant background worth leading with.
- already held advertise travel insurance communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held sell tourist packages communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held oversee all travel arrangements management skills
- already held follow ethical code of conduct in tourism assisting and caring
- already held use global distribution system working with computers
- already held apply foreign languages in tourism communication, collaboration and creativity
All 31 carried skills, including the 24 the travel agent role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 7 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 distribute local information materials required
- still to learn implement sales strategies required
- still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
- still to learn produce content for tourism brochures required
- still to learn achieve sales targets required
- still to learn implement marketing strategies required
- still to learn present reports required
- still to learn provide customised products required
- optional, not held promote the use of sustainable transport optional
- optional, not held work in a hospitality team optional
- optional, not held execute email marketing optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- still to learn manage digital archives required
- still to learn manage visitor flows in natural protected areas required
- still to learn measure customer feedback required
- optional, not held manage database optional
- still to learn ensure the privacy of guests required
- still to learn quote prices required
- still to learn handle financial transactions required
- optional, not held manage time in tourism optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held search databases optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a travel agent role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 distribute local information materials practise this
- 02 implement sales strategies practise this
- 03 maintain relationship with customers 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 31 skills that carry over
- already held advertise travel insurance skill
- already held apply foreign languages in tourism skill
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held develop inclusive communication material 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 customer complaints skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer records skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- already held oversee all travel arrangements skill
- already held process booking skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held provide tourism related information skill
- already held self-service technologies in tourism knowledge
- already held sell tourist packages skill
- already held support community-based tourism skill
- already held support local tourism skill
- already held upsell products skill
- already held use customer relationship management software skill
- already held augmented reality knowledge
- 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 use e-tourism platforms skill
- already held use global distribution system skill
- already held virtual reality knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held office software optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage time in tourism optional
- optional, not held promote the use of sustainable transport optional
- optional, not held work in a hospitality team optional
- optional, not held coordinate events optional
- optional, not held execute email marketing optional
- optional, not held manage database optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held search databases optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
- optional, not held use communication techniques optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
- optional, not held use presentation software optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
17 held skills the travel agent role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist clients with special needs skill
- not needed by the target role build a network of suppliers in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role customise travel package skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate intercultural competences in hospitality services skill
- not needed by the target role devise tailor-made tourism itineraries skill
- not needed by the target role guarantee customer satisfaction skill
- not needed by the target role manage online content skill
- not needed by the target role measure sustainability of tourism activities 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 services in a flexible manner skill
- not needed by the target role plan events skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard cultural heritage skill
- not needed by the target role plan measures to safeguard natural protected areas skill
- not needed by the target role read maps skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
2 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 office software optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
Common questions about this move
Can a travel consultant become a travel agent?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A travel consultant already covers 59% of what a travel agent is expected to do: 31 skills carry over, 24 of which the travel agent role treats as required.
What skills does a travel consultant need to become a travel agent?
14 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is distribute local information materials.
How hard is the move from travel consultant to travel agent?
Its learning distance is 53.5 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.