Holiday Consultant (Travel Consultant) is a person who provides all the information to clients, regarding their trip to a particular destination. A Holiday Consultant makes travel plans for clients, books tickets and conveys all the other important information, relevant to the trip, which a client wants. With a boom in the tourism industry in India, more and more travel agencies are opening up that hire Holiday Consultants for their clients.
Travel agencies are on a hunt for talented young professionals with good marketing as well as communication skills, who can serve as Holiday Consultants. Therefore, to fulfil the demand of both public and private sector organizations for holiday consultants, many travels and tourism-related educational institutes in India have come up with courses related to the field.
Holiday Consultant Eligibility
The minimum qualification for becoming a Holiday Consultant is graduation in relevant field from any recognized institute or University.
Holiday Consultant Required Skills
- Holiday Consultants possess skills like good communication, strong customer focus, organisational skills and strong computer and written skills.
- They should be able to work as part of a team; high level of personal presentation; able to work under pressure; enjoy working with people and strong sales focus.
- They should also be able to discuss client requirements and advise on suitable options; plan, prepare and cost itineraries (travel plans) for clients.
- They should also be able to make travel, accommodation and related bookings; confirm bookings and notify clients of luggage limits and insurance, medical, passport, visa and currency requirements.
- Holiday Consultants must be well-organized, accurate, and detail-oriented in order to compile information from various sources and to plan and organize their clients’ travel itineraries.
- They also must be professional and courteous when dealing with travel representatives and clients.
How to become a Holiday Consultant?
One has to follow the below-given steps for becoming a Holiday Consultant-
Step 1
The minimum requirement for becoming a Holiday Consultant is a high school diploma or equivalent; although many travel agencies prefer applicants who have a college degree and business or travel experience. There are many courses at graduation level they can start such as given below.
Graduation Level Courses:
- B.A. (Tourism Studies)
- B.A. (Hons.) (Travel and Tourism)
- B.A. (Hons.) Hotel Management, Travel and Tourism
Educational qualification-
For graduation course, they should be 12th class pass with travel and tourism as one of the subjects.
Step 2
Experienced Holiday Consultant can take advanced like Masters Degrees or self-study or group-study courses from any of the Travel Institutes. The master level courses for the profession are given below.
Postgraduate Level Courses:
- M.B.A. (Travel & Tourism)
- M.T.T.M. (Master of Tourism and Travel Management)
- PGDTM - Post Graduate Diploma in Travel Management
Educational qualification-
For having admission in Master Degrees the qualification is graduation in the concerned subject.
Institutes offering Courses for Holiday Consultant
- Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi
- Heritage Institute of Hotel and Tourism, Agra
- Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), Gwalior
- College of Hospitality and Tourism (CHAT), Faridabad
Holiday Consultant Job Description
They are responsible for advising clients about suitable travel options in accordance with their needs, wants and capabilities. In addition, they help them plan trips to domestic or international destinations, tours, accommodation, transport, insurance and fares.
Holiday Consultant Career Prospects
After having the good qualification, there are many job prospects for them in various fields. In India, Holiday Consultants can work as tour specialists in both the public and private sector undertakings. In the public sector, a person can work in the government’s tourism department. In the private sector, one can work with travel agencies, hotels or airlines as a holiday consultant and the like many other places related.
Holiday Consultant Salary
In the beginning, the salary in the field of holiday consultancy seems to be low, but it may increase after a few years of experience. After that, Holiday Consultants can earn generally between Rs.3,00,000 to Rs.5,00,000 per annum according to the standard of the related organization.
