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• Travel agency clerk/travel consultant: Job description and activities

Travel agency clerk/travel consultant: Job description and activities

Travel agency clerks/consultants promote and sell holiday and/or business travel products direct to the public, usually from a retail outlet.

Activities typically include:

• selling holiday and travel products to customers;
• meeting sales targets as set out by the travel agency manager;
• dealing with complicated customer itineraries;
• handling customer orders and payments;
• liaising with tour operators and other key partners such as hotels and airlines regarding bookings and schedules;
• undertaking general administration;
• advising clients about passports, vaccinations, visas, foreign currency, travel insurance, car parking, car hire abroad and excursions in resorts;
• dealing with complaints;
• using and updating IT skills, since information on holiday packages and bookings is usually accessed via a network;
• organising displays of promotional material.

Many graduates/Diplomates aiming towards branch management will start off in this role before moving up the ranks to the role of travel agency manager. Once management positions have been secured, many will still occasionally perform the sales aspect of travel consultancy in order to ‘keep their finger on the pulse.’

Travel consultants need to be outgoing and approachable, with excellent customer service skills. In-house training is common, from courses governed by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) (e.g. travel insurance training) to specific software used by the company, for example specific travel booking management programs.

For more information see Travel agency manager.

AGCAS

Written by Suzanne McGregor, The Nottingham Trent University

Last updated:

October 2008

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