Study the responsibilities of travel agents and consultants within the tourism industry in this free online course.

Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines a travel agent as ‘a person who sells and arranges transportation, accommodations, tours or trips for travellers’. From choosing a destination to booking reservations and facilitating transportation and lodging, travel agents have a range of responsibilities. In this course, we will reveal the two main types of travel agencies and the essential duties and tasks of the travel agents. Moreover, you will scrutinise the future of travel retailing and see why travel agents should transition from Traditional Reservation Systems (TRS) toward new technologies.

Next, we will examine travel and tourism and demonstrate their different classifications. Discover the distinction between business and leisure tourism, the motivating factors for tourism and the three primary categories of tourist destinations. Then we will explain culture and heritage and their relevance in tourism. Here is your chance to study the ‘5 Ps’ of marketing (also known as the ‘marketing mix’) to enable you to discern strategies for promoting the spectrum of products and services in the tourism industry.

Furthermore, you will learn about tangible and intangible factors of tourism products and services, the lifecycle of tourism products and the far-reaching roles of a tour operator. We will examine the consumer trends affecting tour operations and the functions of the tour operations department. Study the 'Gap Model' of quality customer management, ‘Gartner's Competency’ Model and other approaches to customer relationship management. We will also discuss the primary responsibilities of a human resource manager, the methods for crisis management and how to effect sustainable tourism development. Delve into this course and start learning today.