tourist information officer
Snapshot
Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge of a place and helping others have memorable experiences? As a tourist information officer, you’ll be the go-to resource for visitors, providing valuable insights and ensuring they make the most of their travels.
Tourist information officers are vital links between visitors and the places they explore. Your days will involve a variety of tasks, from answering inquiries about local attractions and events to assisting with travel arrangements and providing advice on accommodation. You’ll be the face of the destination, creating a positive and welcoming experience for everyone.
- • Providing accurate and up-to-date information on local attractions, events, and services.
- • Assisting visitors with travel planning, including transportation, accommodation, and itineraries.
- • Responding to inquiries in person, by phone, and via email.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Customer services clerks — 37 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Greece, Italy, Netherlands and 1 more.
Longest-running shortage: Belgium, 3 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person's chances. It describes a market.
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Could tourist information officer fit you?
Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.
Do you enjoy tasks that require Attention to Detail?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Integrity?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Dependability?
Future Outlook for tourist information officer
The outlook for tourist information officer reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could tourist information officer change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could tourist information officer change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- quote prices
- provide tourism related information
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- produce content for tourism brochures
- develop tourist information materials
- apply foreign languages in tourism
Tasks most exposed to automation
- process booking
- process reservations
- collect tourist information
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Hospitality, Events, & Tourism
A typical day as a tourist information officer
09 09:00 · Morning build a network of suppliers in tourism
10 10:30 · Mid-morning collect tourist information
12 12:00 · Midday coordinate efforts of stakeholders for destination promotion
14 14:00 · Afternoon demonstrate intercultural competences in hospitality services
15 15:30 · Late afternoon develop tourist information materials
17 17:00 · Wrap-up distribute local information materials
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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geographical areas relevant to tourism
The field of tourism geography in Europe as well as the rest of the world in order to point out relevant tourism areas and attractions.
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local area tourism industry
The characteristics of local sights and events, accommodation, bars and restaurants and leisure activities.
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ecotourism
The practice of sustainable travel to natural areas that conserve and support the local environment, fostering environmental and cultural understanding. It usually involves the observation of natural wildlife in exotic natural environments.
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self-service technologies in tourism
The application of self-service technologies in the tourism industry: performing online bookings, self-check-ins for hotels and airlines, allowing clients to perform and complete reservations by themselves using digital tools.
- augmented reality
- virtual reality
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communicate with customers
Respond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.
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build a network of suppliers in tourism
Establish a widely spread network of suppliers in the tourism industry.
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respond to customers' inquiries
Answer customers' questions about itineraries, rates and reservations in person, by mail, by e-mail and on the phone.
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produce content for tourism brochures
Create content for leaflets and tourism brochures, travel services and package deals.
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develop tourist information materials
Create documents such as leaflets, brochures or city guides to inform tourists about local, cultural, social and historical activities and places of interest.
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quote prices
Refer to prices for the client by researching and estimating fare rates.
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provide tourism related information
Give customers relevant information about historical and cultural locations and events while conveying this information in an entertaining and informative manner.
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process booking
Execute a booking of a place according to client's requirement in advance and issue all appropriate documents.
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process reservations
Execute customers' reservations in accordance to their schedules and needs by phone, electronically or in person.
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assist visitors
Aid visitors by responding to their questions, giving satisfactory explanations, suggestions and recommendations.
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provide directions to guests
Show guests the way through buildings or on domains, to their seats or performance setting, helping them with any additional information so that they can reach the foreseen event destination.
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distribute local information materials
Hand out leaflets, maps and tour brochures to visitors with information and tips about local sites, attractions and events.
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comply with food safety and hygiene
Respect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.
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handle personal identifiable information
Administer sensitive personal information on customers securely and discreetly
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does tourist information officer fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What skills are most important for a tourist information officer?
- Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, are essential. You’ll also need excellent customer service skills, the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and a good knowledge of the local area. Being detail-oriented and resourceful are also highly valued.
- What kind of work environment can I expect as a tourist information officer?
- You’ll typically work in a tourist information centre, which could be located in a town or city centre, at a transportation hub, or even within a larger visitor attraction. The environment is usually busy and involves interacting with a diverse range of people.
- Are there opportunities for career progression in this role?
- While often an entry-level position, experience as a tourist information officer can lead to roles with greater responsibility, such as supervising a team, managing a tourist information centre, or developing marketing materials for a destination. Further education or training in tourism management can also open up new opportunities.
- Tourist Information Officer — is there a shortage in Europe?
- No. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a surplus was reported in 13 of the 18 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Spain and 9 more. 5 countries reported a shortage. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.