Many career posibilites, travel agent, tourism.
Constantly changing airfares and schedules,
thousands of available
vacation packages, and a vast amount of travel information on the
Internet can make travel planning frustrating and time-consuming. To
sort out the many travel options, tourists and business people often
turn to travel agents, who assess their needs and help them make the
best possible travel arrangements. Also, many major cruise lines,
resorts, and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote
travel packages to millions of people every year.
In general, travel agents give advice on
destinations and make
arrangements for transportation, hotel accommodations, car rentals,
tours, and recreation. They also may advise on weather conditions,
restaurants, tourist attractions, and recreation. For international
travel, agents also provide information on customs regulations,
required papers (passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination),
and currency exchange rates.
Travel agents consult a variety of published and
computer-based
sources for information on departure and arrival times, fares, and
hotel ratings and accommodations. They may visit hotels, resorts, and
restaurants to evaluate comfort, cleanliness, and quality of food and
service so that they can base recommendations on their own travel
experiences or those of colleagues or clients.
Travel agents also promote their services, using
telemarketing,
direct mail, and the Internet. They make presentations to social and
special-interest groups, arrange advertising displays, and suggest
company-sponsored trips to business managers. Depending on the size of
the travel agency, an agent may specialize by type of travel, such as
leisure or business, or destination, such as Europe or Africa.
- Travel benefits, such as reduced rates for
transportation and lodging, attract many people to this occupation.
- Training at a postsecondary vocational school,
college, or university is increasingly important.
- Industry consolidation and increasing use of
the Internet to
book travel will result in a decline in the employment of travel
agents.
- Keen competition for jobs is expected.
Source: BLS
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