Tour manager
Tour managers manage the travel arrangements of holidaymakers and business clients to make sure their trips run smoothly.
Also known as: Travel manager, tour supervisor
- Typical hours28 to 30 a week
What you'll do
As a tour manager, you could:
- meet and greet people
- explain travel arrangements and give details of stopover points
- make sure accommodation, meals and services are satisfactory
- help with passport and immigration issues
- give talks about places of interest or find local tourist guides to do them
- promote and sell trips
- advise on sights, local restaurants and shops at each destination
- record issues that may require follow-up after the tour
- give advice, solve problems and deal with emergencies like loss of passports or money, illness or difficulties with accommodation
Working environment
You could work in a hotel or in holiday accomodation.
Your working environment may be crowded, outdoors some of the time and you may spend nights away from home.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- customer service skills
- to be flexible and open to change
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with others
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- sensitivity and understanding
- the ability to think clearly in a crisis
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a tour manager
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
- applying directly
University
You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in a subject like travel and tourism management, although this isn't essential.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
College
You could take a college course in a related subject like tourism management. This would give you some of the skills and knowledge needed for this role.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course
Apprenticeship
You may be able to get into this job by applying to do a Travel Consultant Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Work
You could move into this job after getting experience in a related role like a travel agent, tour guide or tour rep.
Direct application
You can apply for jobs directly if you have:
- experience of working with people
- a friendly and approachable manner
- an interest in the culture, geography and history of the locations covered by the tour
- a good working knowledge of foreign languages if touring overseas
- experience of working overseas if the job you're applying for is based abroad
Employers will look for a good general standard of education, with GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), particularly in maths and English.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could:
- work freelance
- become a tour operations manager
- specialise in particular types of tour like food and drink breaks, adventure holidays or business travel
- set up your own tour business
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the Institute of Travel & Tourism , which offers industry training courses, news and networking opportunities to members.
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0