Personal tools

Navigation

You are here: Home › Careers › Australian Careers › Careers Descriptions › Tourism Careers › Travel Agent

Travel Agent

Travel agents make travel arrangements and bookings for clients. They may sell airline tickets, book accommodation, tours and attractions, do ticketing and process payments.

Tasks & duties

Travel agents may do some or all of the following:

book accommodation, transport, tours and cruises for clients
prepare itineraries
issue tickets and collect payment
do general administration duties
organise and book conferences
visit clients

Retail travel agents may also:

give advice on travel or holiday plans
give information on accommodation, transport and places of interest
advise and help with visas, passports, insurance and other travel-related documents
Travel consolidators may also:
update airfare information using online databases

Specialisations

Travel agents may specialise in the following areas:

Retail Travel Agent

Retail travel agents give advice and make transport, accommodation, tour and other bookings for the general public.

Corporate Travel Agent

Corporate travel agents work with companies, making travel bookings for people travelling for work.

Travel wholesalers and consolidators work for companies that organise travel packages, and negotiate airfares with airlines.

Travel Wholesaler

Travel wholesalers sell airline tickets, accommodation and tours to retail travel agents.

Travel Consolidator

Travel consolidators sell airfares to retail travel agents, do ticketing and process payments.

Skills & knowledge

Travel agents need to have:

strong sales, customer service and people skills
knowledge of other countries and their transport systems, accommodation options and tourist attractions
the ability to work with computer reservation systems, prepare itineraries, and finalise manual and electronic tickets
knowledge of airlines' safety and security regulations
knowledge of airline routes and alliances
knowledge of passport and visa requirements, travel insurance and foreign currencies
time management and planning skills
problem-solving skills
knowledge of current affairs, including areas where travel may be dangerous and/or government warnings have been issued
maths skills

Entry requirements

In most cases there are no specific entry requirements to become a travel agent. Travel wholesalers and travel consolidators generally need a travel qualification, such as a National Certificate in Travel, and relevant experience at a retail or wholesale company.

Secondary education

There are no specific secondary education requirements to become a travel agent. However, some employers may prefer their trainees to at least have NCEA Level 2 or Sixth Form Certificate. Useful subjects include English, maths, geography, tourism and languages.

Tertiary education

You can study at a polytechnic or other training institution to get a range of tourism and travel certificates and diplomas.

Training on the job

Many travel agencies, particularly the large chains, prefer to take on staff with no travel qualifications, and provide their own in-house training. This can often be credited toward a National Certificate in Travel (Levels 3 or 4), through the Airline, Travel and Tourism Organisation.

Travel agents also attend computer, destination, and airline ticketing training courses and seminars. They may also learn about travel destinations by taking training (or familiarisation) trips, known as famils.

Registration

Travel agencies can apply to be accredited by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Agencies cannot issue international tickets unless they are IATA-accredited.

People who wish to work as travel brokers (or "approved salespeople") for agencies that are members of the Travel Agents' Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) need to be approved by TAANZ.