travel consultant
Snapshot
Do you love exploring new destinations and helping others create unforgettable travel experiences? As a travel consultant, you can turn your passion for travel into a rewarding career, guiding clients to their dream vacations and adventures.
Travel consultants are experts in crafting personalized travel plans. Your days will involve researching destinations, understanding client preferences, and providing tailored recommendations for flights, accommodation, tours, and activities. You’ll be the go-to person for all things travel, ensuring a smooth and enjoyable journey for your clients. This role typically falls within the Associate Professional career band, requiring a good level of knowledge and skill.
- • Providing expert advice and customized travel consultations to clients.
- • Researching destinations, travel options, and potential itineraries.
- • Making reservations for flights, hotels, transportation, and activities.
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.
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Could travel consultant 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 travel consultant
The outlook for travel consultant 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 travel consultant 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 travel consultant 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
- guarantee customer satisfaction
- provide tourism related information
- handle customer complaints
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- use e-tourism platforms
- use customer relationship management software
- measure sustainability of tourism activities
Tasks most exposed to automation
- process booking
- maintain customer records
- use global distribution system
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 travel consultant
09 09:00 · Morning customise travel package
10 10:30 · Mid-morning build a network of suppliers in tourism
12 12:00 · Midday educate on sustainable tourism
14 14:00 · Afternoon guarantee customer satisfaction
15 15:30 · Late afternoon identify customer's needs
17 17:00 · Wrap-up maintain relationship with suppliers
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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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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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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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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advertise travel insurance
Promote and sell insurance that is intended to cover medical expenses, financial default of travel suppliers and other losses incurred while travelling, either within one's own country or internationally.
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devise tailor-made tourism itineraries
Create custom-made itineraries, taking into account the specific needs and preferences of customers.
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customise travel package
Personalise and present custom-made travel packages for customer's approval.
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maintain customer service
Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
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upsell products
Persuade customers to buy additional or more expensive products.
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sell tourist packages
Exchange tourist services or packages for money on behalf of the tour operator and manage transportation and accommodation.
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maintain relationship with suppliers
Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
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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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use e-tourism platforms
Use digital platforms to promote and share information and digital content about a hospitality establishment or services. Analyse and manage reviews addressed to the organisation to ensure customer satisfaction.
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use customer relationship management software
Use specialised software to manage company’s interactions with current and future customers. Organise, automate and synchronise sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support, to increase targeted sales.
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guarantee customer satisfaction
Handle customer expectations in a professional manner, anticipating and addressing their needs and desires. Provide flexible customer service to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.
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use global distribution system
Operate a computer reservations system or a global distribution system to book or reserve transportations and accommodations.
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oversee all travel arrangements
Make sure that travel arrangements run according to plan and ensure effective and satisfactory service, accommodation and catering.
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handle customer complaints
Administer complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does travel consultant fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What skills are most important for a travel consultant?
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as you’ll be interacting with clients regularly. Attention to detail is crucial for accurate bookings and itinerary planning. Knowledge of geography, destinations, and travel industry trends is also highly valuable. The ability to work methodically (1.C.5.a) and proactively (1.C.5.b, 1.C.5.c) is important, as is being organised (1.C.4.a) and reliable (1.C.1.a).
- Can I work as a travel consultant as a freelancer?
- Yes, while this role is primarily employment-based, freelancing is also a common arrangement. Many travel consultants work independently, offering their services to clients on a commission basis. This provides flexibility but requires strong self-management skills.
- What kind of work values are important in this role?
- Travel consultants often thrive when they can help others (1.B.2.a), achieve results (1.B.2.c), and have a degree of autonomy (1.B.2.d, 1.B.2.f). A focus on providing excellent service and building relationships is also key.
- Travel Consultant — 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.
- Travel Consultant — what does it pay in the United States?
- $48,450 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $22,650 to $63,400. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.