Government & Defence

Tour Operator
Tourist Centre Manager
Tourist or Tour Guide

Tourist information officers provide advice to tourists about the attractions and accommodation available in their local area. They work in visitor information centres in popular tourist destinations FutureGrowthModerate throughout Australia, where they help tourists from all over Australia and the world. They help with matters such as booking accommodation, arranging tours and recommending restaurants and popular entertainment activities. Most visitor centres also distribute brochures and sell souvenirs, so tourist information officers will also have to maintain stock levels and prepare displays. Some tourist information officers may also be involved in running local, national or international campaigns to promote tourism in their area.

ANZSCO ID & Description: 451611: Provides travel and accommodation information to tourists. May work in a call centre.

Alternative names: Tourist Adviser, Visitor Information Officer, Travel Consultant, Travel Coordinator,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

A tourist information officer needs:

good communication skills
to enjoy working with people from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds
excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
excellent knowledge of the local area
the ability to maintain a friendly and helpful work attitude

Tourist Information Officer working
(Source: Adelaide Tourism)

Duties and Tasks

Tourist information officers may perform the following tasks:

answer questions from tourists, visitors, local residents and other tourism industry colleagues, in person, over the phone, via email or online
make suggestions on tours, travel routes, accommodation and local attractions
provide literature and information on local, interstate and international tours and places of interest
maintain literature and brochure stocks
sell souvenirs and other merchandise
discuss transport, accommodation and tour availability and cost
arrange bookings and documentation for travel and accommodation, and collect payment
assist travel agents and tour operators in preparing itineraries for tourists
undertake general clerical and office duties
coordinate volunteer or part-time staff
put together statistics concerning the number and nature of enquiries
be responsible for overall presentation of the information centre

Working conditions

Tourist information officers work in popular tourist destinations all over Australia. They usually work in dedicated visitor information centres, which are run by local governments or shire councils. These centres are typically open standard business hours during the week, and may also be open on weekends. Tourism is a seasonal industry, so tourist information officers tend to be busier during the warmer months, though this can vary depending on which part of the state they work in.

Tools and technologies

Tourist information officers use brochures, posters and guidebooks, as well as their own personal experiences, to make recommendations and answer tourists' questions. In larger visitor centres, particularly in the metropolitan regions, they may use online booking services to arrange travel, tours and accommodation for visitors. In smaller regional centres bookings may still be made over the telephone, though staff will still need to be familiar with using computers. Tourist information officers also use cash registers, EFTPOS and credit card machines, barcode readers, pricing label guns and step ladders for stacking or arranging displays.

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as a tourist information officer without any formal qualifications and get training on the job. You will generally need to be very familiar with the local area and its attractions. Entry into this occupation may be improved by obtaining a qualification in tourism or a related area. The ability to speak a second language may improve your employment prospects.

The Certificate III in Tourism (Visitor Information Services) and the Certificate III in Tourism are offered at TAFE Colleges and other registered training organisations throughout Australia.

You can also complete a traineeship. The visitor information officer traineeship takes 18 months to complete and is available as a school-based traineeship.

Did You Know

Australian tourism facts

•8.8 million arrivals to Australia in 2017
•$41.3 billion total international visitor spend in Australia in 2017
•1004 people arrive into Australia every hour
•1.4 million travellers from New Zealand arrived in Australia in 2017
•New Zealand was the most popular travel destination for Australians in 2017

Year on Year arrivals

2007 to 2009 saw a very slight decrease in international visitors landing in Australia. Since 2009 Australia has seen a steady increase in international arrivals, with dramatic growth observed in each year from 2012 onwards. This growth is expected to continue with projections estimating the number of international arrivals will increase to 15 million by 2026-2027.

(Source: BudgetDirect: Australian Tourism Statistics 2018)

Tourist Centre Manager - manages a tourism information centre, which includes business management, staff supervision and development, office systems management and the provision of Future Growth Strong services.

Tourism managers may also act as the executive officer for the local tourism committee and make sure services are in place to respond to day-to- day tourism enquiries. They check and regularly report to management on the status of the tourism marketing budget and on tourism awareness or new initiatives on behalf of the employers to industry, media, community or interest groups.

They may also contribute to the planning, development and implementation of tourism marketing strategies and encourage community involvement and awareness.

ANZSCO ID: 451611

Education and training/entrance requirements

IT skills
Good local knowledge
Excellent interpersonal skills
Organisational skills
Communication skills
Energy
Resourcefulness
Confidence
Commercial awareness
Enthusiasm
Adaptability

Tourist Office Freemantle

Duties and Tasks

Design press kit for media
Keep up to date on local events
Respond to customers' inquiries
Manage medium term objectives
Recruit employees
Apply foreign languages in tourism
Maintain customer records
Manage staff
Create solutions to problems
Comply with food safety and hygiene [if needed]
Build business relationships
Design materials for multimedia campaigns
Manage budgets
Maintain customer service
Handle touristic quantitative data
Oversee the design of touristic publications
Develop tourist information materials
Build a network of contacts with suppliers of tourist services
Assess an area as a tourism destination
Distribute local information materials
Have computer literacy
Oversee the printing of touristic publications
Provide tourism related information
Present reports
Develop strategies for accessibility
Analyse data about clients
Handle personal identifiable information
Develop financial statistics reports

Working conditions

Tourist information managers work in popular tourist destinations all over Australia. They usually work in dedicated visitor information centres, which are run by local governments or shire councils. These centres are typically open standard business hours during the week, and may also be open on weekends. Tourism is a seasonal industry, so tourist information managers tend to be busier during the warmer months, though this can vary depending on which part of the state they work in. They oversee a team of Tourist Information Officers.

Tools and technologies

Tourist information managers use brochures, posters and guidebooks, as well as their own personal experiences, to make recommendations and answer tourists' questions. In larger visitor centres, particularly in the metropolitan regions, they may use online booking services to arrange travel, tours and accommodation for visitors. In smaller regional centres bookings may still be made over the telephone, though staff will still need to be familiar with using computers. Tourist information managers also use cash registers, EFTPOS and credit card machines, barcode readers, pricing label guns and step ladders for stacking or arranging displays.

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as a tourist information manager without any formal qualifications and get training on the job. You will generally need to be very familiar with the local area and its attractions. Entry into this occupation may be improved by obtaining a qualification in tourism or a related area. The ability to speak a second language may improve your employment prospects.

The Certificate III in Tourism (Visitor Information Services) and the Certificate III in Tourism are offered at TAFE Colleges and other registered training organisations throughout Australia.

You can also complete a traineeship. The visitor information officer traineeship takes 18 months to complete and is available as a school-based traineeship. Managers will have strong experience to gain promotion.

Tour Guides escort visitors on sightseeing, educational and other tours, and describe and explain points of interest. Future Growth Very Strong Tour guides lead tourists and visitors around cities, museums, art galleries, gardens or places of historic significance.

ANZSCO ID: 451412

Alternative Names: Tour Escort, Tour Operator, Tour Leader,

Knowledge, skills and attributes

To become a tour guide, you would need:

excellent oral communication skills
a passion for the places or exhibits you are guiding people through
patience, and good people skills
the ability to adapt the information to the interests and ages of your group
a good memory for facts, figures and events
good organisation skills
an ability to deal with problems quickly

Australian Tour Guide
(Source: Adventure Tours Australia)

Duties and Tasks

As a tour guide, you would:

Meets and greets visitors.

Controls visitors' access to exhibits.

Plans and rearranges schedules and itineraries.

Plans, organises and conducts tours.

Arranges transportation and accommodation for visitors following planned itineraries.

Arranges entry to places of interest.

Answers questions, provides commentaries, issues brochures and tour literature, shows audio-visual presentations, and explains components and procedures at tour sites.

May assist with installing and dismantling exhibits.

Working conditions

Tour guides may work a standard number of hours per week, or work seasonally. Most tour guides work at weekends and some evenings. If you are leading a group for several days or weeks you would work long hours.

You may be leading groups outside in all weathers or standing all day inside at a museum or art gallery. The working conditions vary greatly depending on where you work.

Education and training/entrance requirements

You can work as a Tour Guide without formal qualifications, however, they may be useful. A course in tourism or guiding might be helpful. Many people become tour guides because they have a passion for travel, or for the places or objects they are guiding people through. You would get some informal training on the job. A VET qualification in tourism, travel and tourism, or guiding may improve your chances of employment in this occupation.

Relevant experience in the hospitality or the tourism industry may also add to your employment prospects.

Employment Opportunities

An increasingly mobile and affluent population is travelling more, and this creates opportunities for tour guides. Inbound tourism in Australia is showing strong growth, and job prospects are likely to be best for those with experience, and /or who can speak more than one language.

COVID has affected the tourism industry and it may take some time to recover.

Government & Defence

Tour operators devise, arrange, and promote their holidays and travel options, working with hotels, airlines and other transport companies for ground travel, in order to execute the arrangements. This promotion is either done through travel agencies or direct to the customer by means of brochures or websites. Future Growth Strong

They provide their customers with advice about where to travel as well as the best means of reaching such destinations on their tours. If customers already know where they want to travel to, tour operators may suggest an escorted tour or can help to devise a complex tailor-made itinerary, which will allow the separate elements of their trip to fit together. The main way they operate is to have standard tours to various places.

Most tour operators are employees although self-employment is also an option. There are many tour operators in Australia, some of which are large organisations selling million trips a year, whilst others are small niche operators giving a very specialised service.

As with many jobs in the travel industry, the gender ratio for the tour operator sector is fairly unbalanced.

More women than men work as tour operators but there is no good reason why men should not apply for a position.

ANZSCO ID: N/A

Alternative names: Owners of Tour Companies,

Specialisations: Operate within and outside Australia for Australians wanting to travel.

Knowledge, skills and attributes

A vision of where else the company could go to create more trips
Good interpersonal skills
Enthusiasm
The ability to work well as part of a team
The ability to cope under pressure
Good IT skills
Competent organisational skills
Flexibility
Confidence
Good sales skills, both over the telephone and face-to-face
A competent grasp of geography
Good oral and written skills

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Duties and Tasks

The typical tasks carried out on a daily basis by a tour operator include:

Providing general and specific advice about different travel destinations
Drawing up complicated travel itineraries and ensuring that all the needs of the customers are met
Making arrangements for transport, accommodation, tours, and activities
Contacting airlines, hotels, and ground transport companies such as coach operators to make suitable arrangements
Advising the customer about travel issues including required documentation and financial matters, such as appropriate exchange rates
Using the computer database to research information about hotel accommodation fares and hotel ratings
Dealing with payments
Performing general administration tasks
Dealing with and documenting complaints in an efficient and diplomatic manner
Planning and advertising different promotions
Making alternative arrangements for customers who have had their trips interrupted by unforeseen issues
Evaluating customers’ holidays and issuing appropriate feedback forms
Every now and then, tour operators travel abroad for research purposes
Making presentations to travel groups
Creating and putting up displays at trade shows

Working conditions

Tour operators usually work behind a desk in an open-plan office environment. As such, the conditions are likely to be comfortable.

Opportunities to travel abroad are likely to arise at numerous points throughout a typical career as companies are keen for their employees to learn more about specific destinations.

Tour operators usually work between 35 and 40 hours per week (including weekends) but, for those who desire part-time work, more flexible hours can often be arranged.

At peak times when the pressure is on, tour operators are often expected to work longer hours.

Education and training/entrance requirements

There are no specific requirements needed to become a tour operator. More important though, if you do not have a degree or diploma, is work experience in the industry, good organisational skills, experience in a customer services role, and an interest in travel.

Some individuals who are keen to become tour operators choose to complete a relevant degree or diploma course such as travel and tourism, hotel management, business studies, IT, marketing, or modern languages. If graduates in other disciplines are keen to enter the industry they may be at an advantage if they take a pre-entry vocational qualification.

Once in the industry, it is possible to study for the International Air Transportation Association exams.

No formal experience is needed before an application to a tour operator is submitted. However, any experience in the retail sector will be viewed positively by employers. If you have completed a customer care course or hold any qualification relevant to sales, this will provide a further boost to your application.

If you are still at school or studying for a degree or diploma, you could try to organise work experience during the vacation period.

Employment Opportunities

Some of the major tour operators in Australia are:

APTouring
Contiki - 18 - 35 year olds
Runaway Tours Australia

There is no formal career progression in this sector and indeed opportunities for progress in the smaller operators can be limited, meaning that it is often necessary to move to a different company to gain promotion.
In a larger organisation there is often more opportunity to move from one department to another in order to progress.

Some employees set up their own businesses after gaining experience and developing a good network of contacts in the business.

Bus or Coach Driver

Bus Driver