Job Responsibilities
Travel agents make arrangements based on the needs, budgets and tastes of customers. This can include groups, families, business people or solo travelers.
They give information to customers and answer any questions concerning transport, places to stay, tourist attractions, passports/visas and flight bookings.
Some travel agents make special arrangements which customers may request such as car rentals or sightseeing trips. They also make suggestions based on their own experience and knowledge.
- Maintaining statistical and financial records
- Selling holidays and insurance
- Meeting profit or sales targets
What to Study
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What Does a Travel Agent do?
Travel agents make arrangements based on the needs, budgets and tastes of customers. This can include groups, families, business people or solo travelers. They give information to customers and answer any questions concerning transport, places to stay, tourist attractions, passports/visas and flight bookings.
Some travel agents make special arrangements which customers may request such as car rentals or sightseeing trips. They also make suggestions based on their own experience and knowledge.
Benefits of Being a Travel Agent
Some benefits of being a travel agent include the following:
- Educational trips abroad
- Airfare courses
- Good salary
- Room for career growth
- There are other career paths
- You can work for yourself
How can I Become a Travel Agent?
Interested in becoming a travel agent but not sure how to get there? The steps below can be used as a guideline.
Decide What Kind you Want to be
There is more than one type of travel agent and knowing which route you want to take can make the process a lot easier to understand. You can do this by deciding if you want to be a leisure or corporate travel agent.
Leisure Travel Agent – Sells holiday packages to individuals, families and groups.
Corporate Travel Agent – Makes travel arrangements for businesses and employees who have to attend work conferences.
If you decide to specialise in a specific area of the world, you need to familiarise yourself with the culture and destinations.
Get Educated
Having a tourism-related qualification can be a big advantage when it comes to applying for jobs. Skills Academy offers a range of tourism courses through distance learning.
These are provider programmes, which means that they teach you skills needed for the workplace in a shorter period of time.
Gain Experience
Most travel agencies employ people who already have some kind of training in the field. A good way to gain experience is by doing an internship or applying for an entry-level job at a travel agency tourism-related business.
What can I Earn as a Travel Agent?
The average salary of a travel agent in South Africa is R 9 722 per month. The amount of money you can earn depends on how many years of experience you have. Travel agents with 1-4 years of experience can earn up to R10 103 per month, while more senior agents can earn over R 24 000 a month.
Where can I Work?
As a travel agent, you can work at any of the following places:
- South African Tourism (SATOUR) or other tourism boards
- Private travel agencies
- Your own agency
What Skills do I Need?
Being a travel agent is both sales and customer service jobs. Agents need to serve their clients and work with tour operators, to secure the best deals. Soft skills needed to this include the following:
Customer Service
The bulk of your job will be spent making travel bookings for a range of different customers. Being able to listen well, understand the needs of the client and satisfy that need every time is key.
Communication
Writing and speaking well is important if you want to become a travel agent. Not only do you have to make sure that written documents to customers are error-free but your spoken English should be excellent, too.
Computer Savvy
Travel agents spend the majority of their days on a computer. Due to this, a good level of IT experience and the ability to learn new systems is important. If you’re not great at IT, consider taking a course to sharpen your skills.
Attention to Detail
As a travel agent, you will constantly be dealing with name spellings, passport numbers and travel dates. If you don’t get those details right the first time, it could lead to trouble. Make sure your attention to detail is top notch.
Organisation
You need to be able to multitask and deal with a lot of customers on a daily basis. Being highly organised is essential in doing just that. Organise your workload and learn to prioritise.
Patience
Patience is a virtue in the travel and tourism industry. You need to be able to help your clients, regardless of how upset or angry they are.
Ability to Listen
Active listening for travel agents is important as it can help put you on a path to success, Not only does it involve listening carefully to a customer, but checking to make sure that you are both on the same page.
Ready to Start Your Career as a Travel Agent?
Get in touch with us and start your studies by using one of the following options:
- Complete our online registration form
- Call us for free at 0800 39 0027
- Chat to us on Whatsapp at 082 318 8892
Author: Thiana Pretorius
Last Updated: May 07, 2020