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5 savvy career moves for a Retail Travel Consultant

We often get calls from people currently employed as a Retail Travel Consultant who are looking for a change but are not sure where their skills can take them.

We often get calls from people currently employed as a Retail Travel Consultant who are looking for a change but are not sure where their skills can take them.

In our opinion, retail travel is possibly the best training ground for the travel industry. As a retail consultant you are exposed to a wide variety of travel products and destinations and generally have more in-depth knowledge through participation in famils and attendance at product road shows.

You have good CRS skills and are often required to do front-office and back-office work including ticketing. You generally have a good overall knowledge of the travel industry from dealing with wholesalers and meeting with sales executives.

So where does all this experience lead?
If you have over two years retail travel consulting experience you could move into one of the following five sectors.

 

1. Go online

If you are still enjoy consulting with clients about their leisure travel plans but would like to move away from a street front office and face to face consulting becoming an Online Travel Consultant could be what you are looking for.

There are many companies that now have an online arm to their business and value the skills you have.

 

2. Specialise

Wholesalers are keen to recruit specialist consultants. One area is for Wholesale Reservation Consultants, which involves selling a single destination or product range and dealing with the general public and travel agencies over the phone and through email.

Wholesalers are also looking for Sales Executives. This role appeals to consultants looking to get out on the road and promote a destination or product.

Product co-ordinators are also in demand. This back-office role involves liaising with suppliers and internal customers and assisting with rate negotiations and the components of the total holiday package.

 

3. Go corporate

Corporate consulting is another possibility for retail agents, and another good option if you’re looking to get away from face to face transactions with the general public.

In corporate travel, agents handle travel arrangements for major corporate clients. Excellent customer service is essential and a fast booking pace is required.

 

4. Move into Events

If you’ve been handling group bookings in your current retail travel role you may like to move into the Events sector as an Event Travel Consultant.

In this role you will be booking all group movements as well as pre and post tour extensions for conference and incentive groups.

 

5. Join an airline

Finally, having CRS, reservation and ticketing experience makes a retail travel consultant more appealing to an airline.

So next time you’re job searching take a look at current roles available in these sectors.

Do you have some extra tips up your sleeve of your own? Share them with us below…