Who is the online travel Consultant? How is this professional figure born?

Anyone looking for job opportunities in the travel sector will certainly have come across the online travel Consultant.
In today’s post then we would like to take stock of how this activity comes about, of who this professional is and of what characteristics he has.
The online travel Consultant started in America, then spread to Europe, initially in England – and then crossed over  – to Germany.

This professional figure developed naturally step by step with the spreadin the usage habits of the world’s population of the internet network: the travel sector has also tried to grasp the opportunity to profit from such a powerful instrument as the web, setting its sights on the possibility of selling travel online.
In Italy the online travel Consultant made his market entrance on our web around 16/17 years ago, with the debut of two companies: Cartorange, focused principally on the sale of honeymoons and with a model still very linked to the homeland and offline work, and Evolution Travel, which instead founded its own model completely on online work, manageable from anywhere and towards the web’s unlimited market.

In a period of great growth for e-commerce, the internauts learned to buy anything online. Not even travel could escape this trend: and from here the right insight – in the early days of the market – of being able to by holidays and tours directly online, being able to get support and advice from trained people, as much as from the travel agents that we were used to finding on the classic high street travel agency.
The online Promoters, for their part, can work from home or anywhere in the world, at any time of the day.
The important thing is to have a device (pc, notebook, tablet, smartphone) and above all a connection.
At this point you are able to take the requests of potential travellers, to put quotes together, to submit them to the client and to close the sale.
All this is possible thanks to technological platforms made available to the online travel Consultants who, thanks to usually proprietary software and sophisticated tech structures, can gain access to the database of tour operator price lists and brochures, company area, hotel and tourist services of various kinds. Added to this, it is possible to personalise travel solutions to the maximum.

 

The advantage is clear, for everyone: the client will be handled with care and professionalism, without even having to go to the agency. Moreover he will have a way of being able to talk with a Consultant at the time most convenient to himself, using the telephone, email or chat. He will be able to get a completely tailor-made service, not having to “make do” with simple brochure packages.
As to the travel Consultant, he will be able to manage his activity in complete autonomy, with extreme flexibility and freedom, both in terms of timetable and place of work.
Thanks to the web, in fact, territorial ties no longer exist!

So what does an online travel Consultant do to best succeed in his business? What characteristics should he possess?
Firstly, he shows a strong and visceral passion for the world, for travel, for the discovery of every corner of this extraordinary planet!
This is actually the first impulse to push someone to become a professional in this sector!
Naturally, as much as this may be deep-rooted and genuine, the predisposition for travel and organisation alone are not enough: it is necessary to study, to deepen knowledge, to train constantly.

Companies like Evolution Travel supply training courses able to continue the Consultant’s growth. From getting started in the business to professional and personal development, the sessions – online and offline – dedicated to online travel Consultants are numerous and cover many subjects, in this way giving solid expertise in technical, informative, information-based but also very practical knowledge.
It has all been thought out to always be with the Promoter, in search of challenges to overcome positively, of new tested methodologies for working better and advice for expanding their own business and their own personal knowledge.
Of particular relevance is the training in web marketing and on how to get found by the target clients looking for the product that he wants to sell: a decisive and unique added value!

What are the main characteristics of a good online travel Consultant?
The good online travel Consultant is not simply a commercial talent, but someone who, perhaps due to previous experiences, knows how to sell.
The web, for as much as it brings the possibility of new contacts, at the same time acts as a “filter”: not having visible and material contact with the person interested in buying a package holiday, working online might not be the experience for everyone.
It is necessary to be very serious and meticulous but above all empathetic. It is necessary to be predisposed to listening attentively to the client, to get in tune with him, to understand his real needs in order to be able to offer the best travel solution tailor-made for him.
Moreover, a strong sense of responsibility is required since someone putting their trust in an online travel Consultant demands to travel in safety and tranquilly, without hurriedness or organisational carelessness.

Stefania Bochicchio


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