Careers in Travel

Becoming a travel agent is a great career choice for you.

Travel Agents are salespeople who advise potential travellers on the various options available to them. This includes developing, booking and ticketing various travel itineraries including air, sea, rail, car and other transportation, accommodation, sightseeing and tours. The Travel Agency environment is sometimes frantic and can be demanding but may offer opportunities for familiarisation trips to holiday destinations.

Corporate Travel Advisors are responsible for processing and managing the travel requirements of business clients. This may include airline tickets, rental cars, accommodation, etc and it may be for a trip of one day's duration or several weeks if involving international travel. The Corporate Travel environment can often be demanding and work is often last minute. Opportunities for familiarisation trips to common business destinations are sometimes available.

Wholesale Travel Agents negotiate fares and packages with airlines, cruise companies, tour operators and hotels to sell to retail and corporate travel agents. These Agents generally work within a company where they are responsible for a specific region (eg Australia, Asia, USA, etc) and negotiate contracts on an annual basis. They must ensure the quotes they receive are as competitive as possible due to the competitive nature of the travel industry.

The Aviation, Tourism and Travel Training Organisation (ATTTO) can provide you with more information on career options.

A unique New Zealand website has been launched to grow careers in aviation, hospitality, travel and tourism aimed at attracting and developing skilled people in our industry.

NZSkillsConnect provides career seekers with the tools and industry information to manage their careers by outlining the main job roles, pathways and relevant training.

The site has been designed around an innovative and dynamic search tool - the ‘Visual Mapper'. It illustrates specific job roles and their progression, while displaying a full range of careers across ten sectors within aviation, hospitality and tourism, including travel.

Click www.nzskillsconnect.co.nz to explore the site and see for yourselves the wealth of information it offers to you all around careers and pathways in travel and the wider tourism and hospitality sectors.