Travel agency manager

Travel agency managers work in retail travel outlets, promoting and selling holidays and travel-related products

As a travel agency manager, you may manage a small independent business or a large chain. Some agencies specialise in business travel or offer a detailed knowledge of specific locations or travel products.

Your responsibilities will usually include the daily operational management of the agency, sales targets and development, staffing and financial management.

You'll need to ensure the agency delivers specialist, professional travel advice and offers a good range of competitive travel products to meet the demands of the customer. This will usually include an online booking service and tailor-made trips.

Responsibilities

As a travel agency manager, you'll need to:

• promote and market the business, sometimes to new or niche markets
• manage budgets and maintain statistical and financial records
• sell travel products and tour packages
• source products and destinations to meet consumer demands for bespoke travel and sustainable tourism
• deliver and exceed branch performance and productivity
• take part in familiarisation visits to new destinations, to gather information on issues and amenities of interest to consumers
• liaise with travel partners, including airlines and hotels, to manage bookings and schedules, often a year in advance
• deal with customer enquiries and aim to meet their expectations
• provide sales reports to head office
• implement alternative and innovative ideas for achieving new business
• oversee the smooth, efficient running of the business
• motivate the sales team to hit and exceed their targets and ensure company profitability
• meet regularly with team leaders to give them sales figures and plan how they approach their work
• meet company directors who advise on strategy and find out about any local issues and future trends
• oversee the recruitment, selection and retention of staff as well as payroll matters and staff training
• organise incentives, bonus schemes and competitions
• deal with disciplinary matters and customer complaints.

Salary

• Starting salaries range from £20,000 to £28,000, depending on the company's size, location and market.
• With experience, travel agency managers can earn up to £40,000.
• In senior-level positions, salaries are generally between £40,000 and £50,000.

Salaries vary greatly between agencies, with larger chains normally paying higher rates. You can enhance your earnings through various incentives and performance bonuses. Concessions for personal holidays and travel are also common.

Income figures are intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours typically include a Saturday, which is classed as a normal working day. You'll usually have to coordinate cover over seven days a week, on a five-day day rota system. Part-time work is available.

You may occasionally need to work evenings when attending promotions and conferences.

If the travel agency is located in a call centre, shift work will usually be required.

What to expect

• Jobs are available in most areas of the UK, with major travel agencies having a high street presence. Self-employment or freelance work is an option due to the rise in popularity of online bookings and tailor-made package tours.
• The industry can experience downturns and upturns in equal measure, depending on the economic climate.
• There is an emphasis on meeting sales and productivity targets.
• Uniforms and a smart appearance are required in most organisations.
• There is occasional travel within a working day, plus overseas travel.

Qualifications

Although you don't need a degree, HND or foundation degree to become a travel agency manager, subjects that include travel, business and management modules are useful, particularly if they have a practical work placement.

The following subjects may increase your chances:

• business/marketing/financial management
• business with languages
• human geography
• social/economic/business studies
• travel/tourism/leisure studies.

Employers look for relevant managerial and travel-related experience. It's usual to start in a junior role, such as travel agency clerk or travel consultant, before moving into a management role.

Some of the major travel companies provide graduate training programmes in specific areas of the business. Although you may get placed in a retail travel agency during the training period, ultimately, you'll be working in a specific business function. This tends to be at head office or other relevant locations, even overseas.

Entry into a retail travel agency without a higher education qualification is possible. You'll usually need GCSEs in maths and English, as well as experience in travel and tourism.

Large travel companies such as TUI Group offer travel apprenticeships.

Skills

You'll need to have:

• good communication skills
• sales and customer-service skills
• diplomacy and tact
• innovation and energy
• commitment to people management
• the ability to lead and motivate a team
• sound judgement with attention to detail
• competent IT skills
• strong organisational skills
• resilience to cope with long hours and pressure at peak times
• a genuine interest in travel
• an awareness of the current trends in travel (e.g. sustainable tourism) and knowledge of popular and upcoming destinations is also important.

Work experience

Vacation or temporary work experience in a sales environment, as well as experience of foreign travel (e.g. as part of a gap year or summer placement) will enhance your application. The ability to communicate effectively in different languages is also helpful.

Relevant management experience in other areas of the leisure or tourism industry, such as hotels or airlines, is likely to increase your chances. Specific functional experience, perhaps in a marketing, sales, retail or IT role, is also helpful.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Most of the brand-name travel agents are owned by a few large groups, made even larger in recent years by high-profile mergers.

However, there are a number of independent agencies, some small and some with branches throughout the UK, and other specialist agencies. Such travel agents may deal with particular destinations or products, for instance, cooking holidays, sports activity breaks or niche locations. Check the list of members on the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) website to get an idea of typical employers.

Online travel bookings play a significant role in the industry and there are job opportunities in all aspects of online travel management. Search for members of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) on their website.

Self-employment is also possible, particularly when providing specialist travel options. The internet has created many opportunities due to demand from people wanting more tailored holidays at the best prices.

TV travel shops are another source of employment, with several of the major travel agencies owning their own satellite and cable TV channels.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Travel Jobs
• Travel Weekly

You can also check websites of travel agencies, companies and tour operators.

Specialist recruitment agencies such as C&M Travel Recruitment and Jane Peirce Travel Recruitment also handle vacancies.

With larger travel companies closing more of their high street shops to cut costs and focus on online sales, there are possibilities for independent travel consultants to fill the gap.

Professional development

Training is mainly on the job, although large companies may provide off-site training, some of which may be residential. Your training may involve travelling abroad or to other parts of the UK and will include training in sales areas such as insurance and online booking systems.

Skills such as payroll can be learned on the job, as can some management skills, like dealing with staff grievances. Training in these areas may be provided as part of the handover from the departing manager.

Continuing professional development (CPD) via training from their travel industry partners is encouraged by ABTA and the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT).

NVQs and SVQs are offered at different levels and include courses relevant to managers or potential managers. There is also a Managing the Travel Business Diploma, provided by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA).

It's also possible to complete postgraduate study in areas such as leisure and business. Search postgraduate courses in leisure management.

Career prospects

Generally, the role of a travel agency manager offers a lot of scope for variety and progression. It may be necessary to relocate or switch companies in order to achieve this.

In larger companies, it's often possible to move up the management ladder to area manager roles or move into another area of the business such as PR, human resources or marketing.

Typically, as a new entrant, you'll need to gain two-to-three years' experience as a sales consultant before being able to apply for a team leader position and a further two-to-three years' experience before applying for branch management roles.

By specialising in a few chosen destinations, opportunities may arise to relocate or spend time working abroad where you could forge links with travel partners overseas. Alternatively, you could move into education tourism, helping students learn skills and gain knowledge in educational institutions around the world. Alternatively you could teach tourism at an FE college or university.

The experience you gain as a travel agency manager also opens up opportunities in the wider tourism industry including hotels and leisure facilities, airlines and cruise ships.