Travel professions

The development of the tourism sector, the popularization and accessibility of travel both domestically and abroad has led to the need for specialists who can organize a safe and comfortable stay for people with different needs and budgets. Today we will tell you what specialties, one way or another related to tourism, exist, where you can learn the chosen profession and what are the requirements for applicants for these vacancies.

The description of the work of a large travel agency usually looks like this: one specialist deals with booking air and railway tickets, another deals with issuing visas and insurance, a third accepts clients, presents tours to them, talks about the specifics of traveling to a particular country. Often the company’s staff also has a marketer who is responsible for advertising, interacts with the media, and promotes the product on social networks.

Also work in the field of tourism includes:

• formation of a base of regular customers;
• knowledge of the features of routes, the specifics of hotels in the selected country;
• hotel reservation;
• preparation of a route that is optimal for a particular client;
• preparation of a package of documents for entry into a foreign state;
• assistance in resolving conflicts and disputes at the place of arrival.

Now let's figure out what are the advantages and disadvantages of working in tourism.

Benefits.

• Getting a job is pretty easy. There are many specialties in this area, some of them require only knowledge of a foreign language, and sometimes you can find a place without having any special education, special skills or experience.
• If traveling is your passion then work in this area will open up great prospects for you, as some of the professions are directly related to frequent trips both domestically and abroad.
• In connection with the development of tourism, new companies and destinations appear, interesting routes are developed. Therefore, this area will always be relevant, which means that specialists will be in demand.
• You can work for yourself. Having the necessary knowledge and skills, you can start making money as an independent travel agent (for example, book tickets through the Internet and charge a commission for your services) or as a private guide with your own designed routes.

Of course, every barrel of honey has its own fly in the ointment. Consider the disadvantages of the profession.

• You need to learn a foreign language, at least one - English.
• Career Can Stall, since it’s a little unclear where it can “grow”, for example, a tourism manager who arranges a turnkey tour, unless you open your own company.
• Must possess A number of personal features: to be able and love to communicate with people, have a presentable appearance, speak friendly and competently, be erudite. Not every person is capable of being the “receptacle” of all these positive qualities.
• The salary of a specialist is not too high, in addition, it directly depends on the number of tourism products sold, which is affected by seasonality, changes in the visa regime of foreign countries, the cost of flights, etc.
• High stress. Unforeseen situations that often occur among tourists staying abroad require the intervention of a specialist: you may need help with documents, resolving disputes at the hotel, solving problems with carriers. All this cannot but be unnerving to one degree or another, therefore, a person who has chosen a profession in the field of tourism should have considerable resistance to stress and endurance.

It is time to get acquainted with the variety of professions, one way or another related to travel.

We want to make a reservation right away that a company that provides a package of services for tourists, or its representative, that is, a specific specialist of this company, can be called a tour operator. In order for the client to be satisfied with the trip, he recommended the operator to friends and acquaintances, and later used his services again, a whole network of contacts is being formed: with carrier companies, with hotels, visa centers, companies providing excursions, etc. The result of this cooperation is a fully equipped tourism product.

What is required from the tour operator? Planning and drawing up a travel program, calculating the final cost of a trip, booking tickets and hotel rooms (at the request of the client), applying for a visa and insurance. In order to develop his own business, the tour operator is engaged in advertising and promotion, is establishing contacts with new travel agencies, and is looking for favorable offers.

Do not confuse the profession of tour operator and travel agent. Their main difference is that the operator is engaged in the development and formation of trips and is responsible for them, and the agent is an intermediary reselling a finished tour formed by a tour operator.The limit of his responsibility, as a rule, is limited by the proper provision of full information about the conditions of travel, the rights and obligations of the tourist, third parties, as well as the timely payment of the services of a tour operator.

This is the so-called special case of a more extensive specialty - a guide. A guide guides a group of tourists along a specific route or attraction and talks only about her. The time allotted for the tour, as a rule, does not exceed several hours, after which the guide either takes the next group and leads it again along this route, or ends its working day.

The guide has more extensive range of responsibilities. He accompanies the tour group entrusted to him, showing its participants the sights of the city or country as a whole, takes them to restaurants and for shopping, tells interesting historical facts, develops new fascinating routes. At the same time, he monitors the comfort of the group members, as well as the observance of discipline and the rules of being in a particular place.

This is a hotel specialist, whose duties include accommodation and ensuring a comfortable stay. Also, the hotel administrator must:

• register the client, ensure the delivery of his baggage to the provided room, explain the rules of conduct at the hotel, talk about additional services, give keys, hand in the received correspondence;
• keep a record of all numbers, know which of them are busy and which are free, book them on demand;
• to ensure that the room is ready to receive guests by monitoring the attendants (ensure that the maids clean up on time, change bed linen, towels, etc.);
• ensure the operation of all systems and devices (light bulbs, TV, Internet, water supply, sewage) with the help of appropriate specialists;
• monitor the timely payment of the number;
• be prepared to answer the guests' questions regarding his professional competence (where you can have dinner, where to go in the evening, etc.), call a taxi at the request of the guest.

A travel manager is a travel specialist. It is he who helps the tourist to determine the route: country, city, attractions. He takes care of the paperwork, buying tickets, booking a hotel room, organizing sightseeing tours.

The person who organizes the festivities can work in shopping centers or tourist establishments. He must:

• develop a scenario;
• pick actors for roles;
• find a place for the celebration;
• arrange it properly;
• fully assume the responsibilities of leading the event.

The duties of the animator include attracting the attention of people and their amusement, however, depending on the scope of his work, they have to be entertained in different ways.

• Animators in shopping centers They are engaged in advertising of any product or service, they invite customers to visit a particular store, to participate in promotions, lotteries, and sales. As a rule, they are wearing bright costumes of fairy-tale characters, they distribute leaflets and advertising booklets to visitors of the shopping center.
• Holiday Animators organize various contests, play funny scenes, dance and sing.
• Hotel animators at the resort designed to provide leisure for guests: they serve as an instructor for morning exercises, organize game events, dances, competitions.

A completely new profession, the "profession of the future." The space tourism manager's responsibilities include development of programs for visiting near space, and after - orbital complexes and other space structures.

This specialist should be very savvy in everything related to space, be able to correctly and clearly convey to the client information about all the possible risks of his stay there, responsibilities, rules of conduct, etc.

The place of work of this specialist is a travel company. Responsibilities:

• processing incoming requests from customers, solving their problems;
• organization of a comfortable stay in a place of rest;
• advising clients on the services provided.

A spa specialist is required to:

• analyze and evaluate the activities of the spa industry;
• to know state programs in the field of tourism;
• monitor compliance with national requirements in sanatorium organizations;
• study the practice of other similar institutions, introduce the most successful of them.

International tourism destinations are becoming more accessible and in demand, and some countries do not even need a visa to enter. Many travelers prefer to come to a foreign country to get acquainted with its cultural values, but lack of knowledge of languages ​​can become an obstacle to visiting excursions. A guide-translator is exactly the person who will help in this situation.

His responsibilities include visiting interesting places together with the tour group and a story about the sights, life and history of the country, city or a specific location in the native language for tourists. The guide is also responsible for organizing group trips, for the safety of each of its members, and for resolving problems that arise.

Consider the basic requirements for a specialist who has chosen a career in tourism. He must:

• know the tourism legislation of the Russian Federation, as well as the legal and ethical standards of conduct in foreign countries;
• speak in English or in another language necessary for staying abroad, especially if business trips involve frequent trips to a specific country;
• be sociable, be able to persuade, attract customers;
• be able to smooth out conflicts;
• be organized, have the ability to simultaneously solve several problems;
• Do not be afraid of unforeseen situations, be able to solve them "on the fly", and prevent their possible occurrence.

You can learn to become a specialist in the field of tourism in a technical school or college, choosing the direction "Tourism". To obtain secondary specialized education on the basis of 11 classes, you do not even need to take the exam. The duration of full-time studies is 2 years, and part-time studies are 2 years and 10 months.

After receiving a diploma, the graduate is free to choose: go to work in their specialty or continue their studies at a higher educational institution. Having enrolled in a university in the field of training related to tourism, a college graduate will be transferred to the 2nd year, reducing the term for higher education. Studying in absentia, you can combine study with work in the field of tourism.