Tour Operator

Career as a tour operator is one among the various career fields in the travel and tourism industry. In a country like India where travel and tourism industry plays an important role in earning revenue, tour operators have great significance. Today not only foreigners need the services of tour operators but more and more of local people plan tours especially vacation or holiday trips. Tour operating career is very exciting as well as rewarding for those who have a keen interest in tourism and related fields. This career has immense scope these days because people now prefer to take service of operators who can provide them full holiday service. The details involved in planning a vacation can be overwhelming for many people. Tour operators lessen that stress by organizing and arranging all the particulars that typically go along with vacation tour. Hence, it is vital to have the best tour operator as your travel planner, who has got the experience, infrastructure, commitment, and is a real professional to plan your holidays. Tour operators organize tours to various tourist destinations and manage the travel and stay of tourists. A tour operator typically combines tour and travel components to create a holiday. Tour Operators are involved in planning, development, promotion, administration and implementation of travel options. They offer all kinds of touring services, right from taking tourists to different places to making different travel components accessible to them, including tour guide, accommodation, vehicle rental etc. To be more specific, they are responsible for booking transportation, lodging, activities, sightseeing trips and so forth. Tour operators design, sell, and promote holiday packages and work in tandem with various other sectors such as hotels and airlines for executing these plans and packages for their customers. The role played by a tour operator in most cases is a sum up of responsibilities handled by many people involved in tourism industry. Hence, Tour operators are also often referred to as tour directors, travel guides, tour managers and tour coordinators. Eligibility No specific educational requirements are prescribed to become a Tour Operator. With practical experience, proper marketing and adequate capital, one can become a successful tour operator. Degree/Diploma/Certificate courses in Travel and Tourism/ or a course related to hospitality can however give one the professional outlook and provide an edge over others. Mountaineering courses can help you in the adventure tourism sector. A course in foreign language will be an added advantage to cater to inbound travellers. Personal skills Tour operators must have a pleasing personality and excellent communication skills both over the telephone and in person. Being good negotiators, knowledge of foreign language like French, Spanish or German other than English will be an added advantage in this field. To be a good tour operator, one needs to have certain desirable skills. Excellent organisational skills, customer service skills, confidence, patience and flexibility will help you in excelling in this field. One should be computer literate, and be able to work closely with colleagues as a team, in order to achieve business objectives.