For most of us, when we hear the words ‘travel’ and ‘tourism’, our eyes glaze over thinking of golden sands and azure waters, that breath of fresh air from the snow-capped alpine mountains filling our lungs, or the never-ending colours and lights twinkling from every corner at cosmopolitan cities.
Many of us love travel and tourism so much that we have given serious consideration into becoming a travel agent and even setting up our own travel agency. Sure, managing your own travel agency can be an exciting and gratifying career, but like any business choice, there is always the question of “Can I securely make a profit out of this?”
And just like with any other business, if you don’t know what you’re doing, things can go pear shape quicker than you can say “Hawaii”.
While you don’t necessarily need prior travel agent training or experience in the industry, customers will expect you to have sufficient background knowledge of things like hotels, airports and travel insurance. How else can you be confident in clarifying that yes, OMG (Omega Airport, Namibia) and SUX (Sioux City, Iowa) are actual airport codes and no, you’re not trying to pull a cheeky one?
There’s no greater nightmare than the horrifying publicity experienced by a certain Australian travel agency who, in 2014, mistakenly sent a newly-married couple to El Salvador, 4,000 miles away from Salvador, Brazil, where the couple had saved up to attend the World Cup!
Some of the basic responsibilities of a travel agency include selling travel-related products and services on behalf of suppliers such as airlines, hotels, sightseeing tours and car rentals.
On a typical day, a travel agent will:
For anyone looking to start a career or business in travel or tourism, formal travel consultant training can provide you with the best head-start.
The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) is the peak industry body designed to uphold the interests of Australian travel agents. Naturally, AFTA promotes an industry that is supported by well-educated, highly qualified staff that have received reputable and accredited travel agent training.
The nationally recognised training of the Certificate III in Travel was designed by AFTA in conjunction with Service Skills Australia as the entry level travel consultant course required for any travel agent consultant or front line travel selling staff. The Cert 3 in Travel was specifically put together to fulfil the underpinning knowledge and skills needed to become a competent travel consultant.
Completing your travel and tourism qualification is an important step towards opening your own travel agency, but AFTA also has some other requirements, including:
As a registered training organisation, we have been delivering travel and tourism courses in Melbourne since 1985. Our Certificate III in Travel is a fully accredited travel agent course that will provide you with essential knowledge of Australian and international destinations, international airfares and ticketing, and vital computer reservation systems.
The extensive government-funded travel course also effectively blends travel consultant training with relevant business administration, sales and customer service skills. Combine this with our hands-on placement that focuses on practical travel consultant training and you can be assured that you are equipped with a strong foundation of highly sought-after travel and tourism industry skills – absolutely indispensable groundwork in setting up your own travel agency.
For more information on our accredited travel consultant course, please visit our website at https://www.sjaustralia.com.au or call us on (03) 9654 0999 to speak with one of our friendly consultants.
