About the job:
As a Travel Specialist, your job is to help people plan a trip that is tailored according to their needs and wishes. You will usually work to a budget set out by whoever is planning the holiday. You also offer advice and opinions on where to go and local tourist attractions, events and customs.
Some of the challenges of being a Travel Specialist include:
- Reaching a certain ceiling because most local companies are family-owned businesses
- Adapting to the digitization of the Travel industry
- You need at least 20 years to reach a Managerial position in a Multinational company
Some of the perks of being a Travel Specialist include:
- Package of travel and benefits, not just salary
- A lot of training
- You get to meet many people
- It's a "lifestyle" career
- Most people go on to open their own business, or join global companies
- You can also work as a travel consultant in a consulting company
- 40+ hours a week
- Weekends and Nights may be included
Are you the right fit?
- No specific class
- Any Track
- Understanding what you hear
- Understanding written information
- Expressing yourself verbally
- Time Management
- Planning & Organization
- Attention to Detail
Will you make money?
Education stuff:
- A Bachelor's Degree in Travel & Tourism or Hospitality
- A Master’s in Tourism is not strongly recommended since practical experience is the greatest asset in this field
- Travel companies appreciate people who combine both soft/technical skills - this will help you get a better salary
Companies are more likely to hire graduates who are equipped with the right knowledge & skills, which include:
1.) Digitally Literacy
2.) Technical Know-How
3.) Soft Skills
4.) Growth Mindset (Adaptation Capabilities)
5.) Global Mind (Knowledge of new cultures, languages and geopolitics)
Video Description
Curious about a career in the Travel industry? Hear from our local Travelist (a term she herself coined!) Farah Jawad, in our latest Nooreed Interview. She talks about how the industry is evolving and highlights the skills that will help young people succeed in this domain once they graduate.
Biography
Farah Jawad graduated with a BA and an MA in Tourism from the Lebanese University and is on the way to graduate from London School of Economics with an Executive Global Master's in Management at the end of 2019. Her dissertation is about Tourism education and how it should be integrated into the curriculum. She also has 14 years of working experience in the travel industry, mainly with Kurban Travel and MEA. Now she started her own company, Tenth Freedom. It aims at creating a travel community, travel merchandising and trip organizing.