RetailISCO 4221
Travel agent
Travel agents design and market travel programme itineraries for potential travellers or visitors.
Check yourself in a minute: travel agent
Rate 5 of the 36 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
distribute local information materials
produce content for tourism brochures
implement marketing strategies
oversee all travel arrangements
maintain relationship with customers
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (36)
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...distribute local information materialsdistribute local information materialsHand out leaflets, maps and tour brochures to visitors with information and tips about local sites, attractions 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.produce content for tourism brochuresproduce content for tourism brochuresCreate content for leaflets and tourism brochures, travel services and package deals.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.maintain relationship with customersmaintain relationship with customersBuild a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and servic...handle customer complaintshandle customer complaintsAdminister complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.upsell productsupsell productsPersuade customers to buy additional or more expensive products.quote pricesquote pricesRefer to prices for the client by researching and estimating fare rates.process bookingprocess bookingExecute a booking of a place according to client's requirement in advance and issue all appropriate documents.provide tourism related informationprovide tourism related informationGive customers relevant information about historical and cultural locations and events while conveying this information in an entertaining and informative manner.advertise travel insuranceadvertise travel insurancePromote and sell insurance that is intended to cover medical expenses, financial default of travel suppliers and other losses incurred while travelling, either within one's own country or internationa...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.sell tourist packagessell tourist packagesExchange tourist services or packages for money on behalf of the tour operator and manage transportation and accommodation.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...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.maintain customer servicemaintain customer serviceKeep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requ...support local tourismsupport local tourismPromote local products and services to visitors and encourage the use of local tourism operators in a destination.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...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.use customer relationship management softwareuse customer relationship management softwareUse specialised software to manage company’s interactions with current and future customers. Organise, automate and synchronise sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support, to increase t...ensure the privacy of guestsensure the privacy of guestsDevelop methods and strategies to ensure maximum customer privacy.provide customised productsprovide customised productsMake and develop custom-made products and solutions for customer's specific needs.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.process paymentsprocess paymentsAccept payments such as cash, credit cards and debit cards. Handle reimbursement in case of returns or administer vouchers and marketing instruments such as bonus cards or membership cards. Pay attent...achieve sales targetsachieve sales targetsReach set sales goals, measured in revenue or sold units. Reach the target within a specific timeframe, prioritise sold products and services accordingly and plan in advance.maintain customer recordsmaintain customer recordsKeep and store structured data and records about customers in accordance with customer data protection and privacy regulations.apply foreign languages in tourismapply foreign languages in tourismUse the mastery of foreign languages orally or written in the tourism sector in order to communicate with collaborators or customers.present reportspresent reportsDisplay results, statistics and conclusions to an audience in a transparent and straightforward way.handle financial transactionshandle financial transactionsAdminister currencies, financial exchange activities, deposits as well as company and voucher payments. Prepare and manage guest accounts and take payments by cash, credit card and debit card.
Optional (20) — show
social media managementsocial media managementThe planning, development, and implementation of strategies aimed at managing social media platforms, the publications, the social media management tools, and the image of organisations in them.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.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...office softwareoffice softwareThe characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database.use global distribution systemuse global distribution systemOperate a computer reservations system or a global distribution system to book or reserve transportations and accommodations.use spreadsheets softwareuse spreadsheets softwareUse software tools to create and edit tabular data to carry out mathematical calculations, organise data and information, create diagrams based on data and to retrieve them.coordinate eventscoordinate eventsLead events by managing budget, logistics, event support, security, emergency plans and follow up.use presentation softwareuse presentation softwareUse software tools to create digital presentations which combine various elements, such as graphs, images, text and other multimedia.manage databasemanage databaseApply database design schemes and models, define data dependencies, use query languages and database management systems (DBMS) to develop and manage databases.execute email marketingexecute email marketingConceptualise and write targeted customer emails, manage customer emails for the brand email marketing programmes in order to ensure enhanced profit and improved customer communication and prospection...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...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...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...use communication techniquesuse communication techniquesApply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.manage time in tourismmanage time in tourismPlan the time sequence of travel programme itineraries.work in a hospitality teamwork in a hospitality teamFunction confidently within a group in hospitality services, in which each has his own responsibility in reaching a common goal which is a good interaction with the customers, guests or collaborators ...search databasessearch databasesSearch for information or people using databases.follow ethical code of conduct in tourismfollow ethical code of conduct in tourismCarry out touristic services according to accepted principles of right and wrong. This includes fairness, transparency and impartiality.use microsoft officeuse microsoft officeUse the standard programs contained in Microsoft Office. Create a document and do basic formatting, insert page breaks, create headers or footers, and insert graphics, create automatically generated t...
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Frequently asked questions
What does a travel agent do?
Travel agents design and market travel programme itineraries for potential travellers or visitors.
What skills does a travel agent need?
A travel agent needs 36 essential skills, including ecotourism, self-service technologies in tourism, distribute local information materials, comply with food safety and hygiene, produce content for tourism brochures.
Will AI replace travel agent jobs?
The AI disruption score for travel agent is 45/100 (moderate risk). Skills most exposed to automation: process booking, process payments, maintain customer records. Most resilient: engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas, maintain relationship with suppliers, work in a hospitality team.
AI Replacement Risk
45/ 100
Moderate Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Quick Facts
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