TourismISCO 1439
Travel agency manager
Travel agency managers are in charge of managing employees and activities of a travel agency. They organise, advertise and sell tourist offers and travel deals for specific regions.
Check yourself in a minute: travel agency manager
Rate 5 of the 35 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
use global distribution system
implement marketing strategies
oversee all travel arrangements
set up pricing strategies
manage budgets
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (35)
tourist resources of a destination for further developmenttourist resources of a destination for further developmentThe study of touristic resources in a specific area and its potential for further development of new touristic services and events.comply with food safety and hygienecomply with food safety and hygieneRespect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.use global distribution systemuse global distribution systemOperate a computer reservations system or a global distribution system to book or reserve transportations and accommodations.implement marketing strategiesimplement marketing strategiesImplement strategies which aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies.oversee all travel arrangementsoversee all travel arrangementsMake sure that travel arrangements run according to plan and ensure effective and satisfactory service, accommodation and catering.set up pricing strategiesset up pricing strategiesApply methods used for setting product value taking into consideration market conditions, competitor actions, input costs, and others.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.handle customer complaintshandle customer complaintsAdminister complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.monitor financial accountsmonitor financial accountsHandle financial administration of your department, keep the costs down to only necessary expenses and maximise the revenues of your organisation.manage staffmanage staffManage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the wor...prepare travel packagesprepare travel packagesMake holiday and travel packages ready and arrange accommodation, logistics and transportation services such as chartered airplanes, taxis or rental cars for clients and additional services and excurs...engage local communities in the management of natural protected areasengage local communities in the management of natural protected areasBuild a relationship with the local community at the destination to minimise conflicts by supporting the economic growth of local tourism businesses and respecting local traditional practices.manage conservation of natural and cultural heritagemanage conservation of natural and cultural heritageUse revenue from tourism activities and donations to fund and preserve natural protected areas and intangible cultural heritage such as crafts, songs and stories of communities.maintain relationship with suppliersmaintain relationship with suppliersBuild a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.recruit employeesrecruit employeesHire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.use e-tourism platformsuse e-tourism platformsUse digital platforms to promote and share information and digital content about a hospitality establishment or services. Analyse and manage reviews addressed to the organisation to ensure customer sa...create annual marketing budgetcreate annual marketing budgetMake the calculation of both the income and expenditures that are expected to be paid over the coming year concerning the marketing related activities such as advertising, selling and delivering produ...identify customer's needsidentify customer's needsUse appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.apply strategic thinkingapply strategic thinkingApply generation and effective application of business insights and possible opportunities, in order to achieve competitive business advantage on a long-term basis.plan digital marketingplan digital marketingDevelop digital marketing strategies for both leisure and business purposes, create websites and deal with mobile technology and social networking.support local tourismsupport local tourismPromote local products and services to visitors and encourage the use of local tourism operators in a destination.support community-based tourismsupport community-based tourismSupport and promote tourism initiatives where tourists are immersed in the culture of local communities usually in rural, marginalised areas. The visits and overnight stays are managed by the local co...measure customer feedbackmeasure customer feedbackEvaluate customer's comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.supervise crewsupervise crewSupervise and observe the behaviour of employees.maximise sales revenuesmaximise sales revenuesIncrease possible sales volumes and avoid losses through cross-selling, upselling or promotion of additional services.conduct search engine optimisationconduct search engine optimisationExecute optimal marketing research and strategies on search engine processes, also known as search engine marketing (SEM), in order to increase online traffic and website exposure.coordinate operational activitiescoordinate operational activitiesSynchronise activities and responsibilities of the operational staff to ensure that the resources of an organisation are used most efficiently in pursuit of the specified objectives.implement sales strategiesimplement sales strategiesCarry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company's brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.manage visitor flows in natural protected areasmanage visitor flows in natural protected areasDirect visitor flows in natural protected areas, so as to minimise the long-term impact of visitors and ensure the preservation of local flora and fauna, in line with environmental regulations.negotiate supplier arrangementsnegotiate supplier arrangementsReach an agreement with the supplier upon technical, quantity, quality, price, conditions, storage, packaging, send-back and other requirements related to the purchasing and delivering process.build a network of suppliers in tourismbuild a network of suppliers in tourismEstablish a widely spread network of suppliers in the tourism industry.motivate staff to reach sales targetsmotivate staff to reach sales targetsStimulate your staff to achieve sales goals set by the management.implement strategic planningimplement strategic planningTake action on the goals and procedures defined at a strategic level in order to mobilise resources and pursue the established strategies.seek innovation in current practicesseek innovation in current practicesSearch for improvements and present innovative solutions, creativity and alternative thinking to develop new technologies, methods or ideas for and answers to work-related problems.perform market researchperform market researchGather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.
Optional (16) — show
virtual realityvirtual realityThe process of simulating real-life experiences in a completely immersive digital environment. The user interacts with the virtual reality system via devices such as specifically designed headsets.ecotourismecotourismThe practice of sustainable travel to natural areas that conserve and support the local environment, fostering environmental and cultural understanding. It usually involves the observation of natural ...self-service technologies in tourismself-service technologies in tourismThe application of self-service technologies in the tourism industry: performing online bookings, self-check-ins for hotels and airlines, allowing clients to perform and complete reservations by thems...augmented realityaugmented realityThe process of adding diverse digital content (such as images, 3D objects, etc) on surfaces that exist in the real world. The user can interact in real-time with the technology by using devices such a...promote the use of sustainable transportpromote the use of sustainable transportPromote the use of sustainable transport to reduce the carbon footprint and noise and increase safety and efficiency of transport systems. Determine performance regarding the use of sustainable transp...manage distribution channelsmanage distribution channelsOversee distribution channels with regards to the requirements of customers.develop inclusive communication materialdevelop inclusive communication materialDevelop inclusive communication resources. Provide appropriate accessible digital, print and signage information and apply the appropriate language to support the representation and inclusion of peopl...promote virtual reality travelling experiencespromote virtual reality travelling experiencesUse virtual reality technology to immerse customers into experiences such as virtual tours of a destination, attraction or hotel. Promote this technology to allow customers to sample attractions or ho...improve customer traveling experiences with augmented realityimprove customer traveling experiences with augmented realityUse augmented reality technology to provide customers with enhanced experiences in their travelling journey, ranging from exploring digitally, interactively and in more depth tourist destinations, loc...educate on sustainable tourismeducate on sustainable tourismDevelop educational programmes and resources for individuals or guided groups, to provide information about sustainable tourism and the impact of human interaction on the environment, local culture an...participate in tourism eventsparticipate in tourism eventsTake part in tourism fairs and exhibitions in order to promote, distribute and negotiate tourism services and packages.manage online contentmanage online contentEnsure the website content is up to date, organised, attractive and meets the target audience needs, the requirements of the company and international standards by checking the links, setting the publ...develop working proceduresdevelop working proceduresCreate standardised series of actions of a certain order to support the organisation.build business relationshipsbuild business relationshipsEstablish a positive, long-term relationship between organisations and interested third parties such as suppliers, distributors, shareholders and other stakeholders in order to inform them of the orga...train employeestrain employeesLead and guide employees through a process in which they are taught the necessary skills for the perspective job. Organise activities aimed at introducing the work and systems or improving the perform...perform services in a flexible mannerperform services in a flexible mannerAdapt service approach when circumstances change.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a travel agency manager do?
Travel agency managers are in charge of managing employees and activities of a travel agency. They organise, advertise and sell tourist offers and travel deals for specific regions.
What skills does a travel agency manager need?
A travel agency manager needs 35 essential skills, including tourist resources of a destination for further development, comply with food safety and hygiene, use global distribution system, implement marketing strategies, oversee all travel arrangements.
Will AI replace travel agency manager jobs?
The AI disruption score for travel agency manager is 48/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: monitor financial accounts, measure customer feedback, use global distribution system. Most resilient: engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas, maintain relationship with suppliers, perform services in a flexible manner.
AI Replacement Risk
48/ 100
Moderate Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Quick Facts
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