Travel Agent
Career Area: Hospitality, Food, and Tourism
Occupation Group: Hospitality and Travel
Salary
Percentile wages tell how much a certain percentage of an overall population in a geographic area or within a given industry or field makes. The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
An example would be the 25th percentile, 25 percent of workers employed in that occupation earn less and 75 percent earn more than the estimated wage value. At the 75th percentile, 75 percent of workers employed in that occupation earn less and 25 percent earn more than the estimated wage value.
A typical Travel Agent earns the following wages (national and state):
State
The average salary in North Carolina for those pursuing this career is $42,370
National
The average salary in the United States for those pursuing this career is $42,995
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Makes travel and accommodation arrangements for customers. Provides information on vacation destinations, flights and tour options; arranges flights and accommodations and advises on travel itineraries for customers travelling for business. Assists with advance purchase of tickets and reservations.
Employment Trends
The job demand and job growth statistics shown here were derived from job posts over the past year. Expected job growth projections are extrapolated from year-over-year job post listing history.
Job demand and job growth is expected at the following rates:
| Location | Growth | |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 330 | -3.7% |
| Nationwide | 6876 | -5.7% |
Skills
A professional in this position typically utilizes the following skills in the course of everyday work in this exciting and challenging field:
Baseline Skills
The following are baseline skills every Travel Agent is expected to have in order to experience success in this field:
- Problem Solving: Problem solving consists of using generic or ad hoc methods, in an orderly manner, for finding solutions to problems.
- Communication Skills: The ability to convey information to another effectively and efficiently.
- Written Communication: Working experience of Written Communication, which involves any type of message that makes use of the written word. Written communication is the most important and the most effective of any mode of business communication.
- Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office is an office suite of applications, servers, and services developed by Microsoft.
- Detail-Oriented: A detail oriented person is someone who pays attention to the details and can make a conscious effort to understand causes instead of just the effects, and that does this in a second nature type of way.
Specialized Skills
These skills are specific to working in this career:
- Customer Service: Working experience with the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.
- Travel Industry Knowledge: The travel industry caters to recreational, leisure and business travelers.
- Sales: Experience selling products or services to consumers.
- Product Sales: Demonstrated expertise in the selling of an artifact that is produced, is quantifiable, and can be either an end item in itself or a component item.
- Customer Contact: Experience working with business processes and technologies that are designed to engage customers and facilitate communication by a variety of channels.
Distinguishing Skills
Any Travel Agent that possesses the following skills will stand out against the competition:
- Corporate Travel: Travel arranged by a business for business purposes.
Experience
This position typically requires the following level of experience. The numbers presented in the pie charts below were derived from actual job posts over the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Experience Required | % |
| 0 to 2 years | 71% |
| 3 to 5 years | 24% |
| 6 to 8 years | 2% |
Many of the programs offered through NC State are designed for working professionals who need additional credentials to enhance existing work experience.
Students who do not have the expected level of experience may wish to look into internship and employment opportunities.
Common Job Titles
It is possible to find work in this field in positions commonly listed as the following job titles:
- Travel Agent
- Travel Coordinator
- Travel Consultant
- Senior Travel Consultant
- Travel Rrt
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