Job market information
Finding out about travel and tourist services
The travel and tourist services industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The hospitality, travel and tourism sector incorporates the following industries: contract food service providers, events, gambling, holiday parks, hospitality services, hostels, hotels, membership clubs, pubs, bars and nightclubs, restaurants, self-catering accommodation, tourist services, and visitor attractions. The sector accounts for a workforce of 2.1 million, most of which are based within the restaurants, hospitality services, and pubs, bars and nightclubs industries. The roles within the sector are extremely diverse and include managers, technical staff, front-of-house staff, back-of-house staff, and non-core staff.
The travel services and tourist services industry can be divided into:
- Travel services – these support the wider travel and tourism sector and include, for example, Thomas Cook, TUI, Co‐operative Travel Group, and STA Travel
- Tourist services – these support inbound and domestic tourism and comprise:
- National and regional tourist boards e.g. Visit Scotland, London Tourist Board
- Tourist Information Centres
- Inbound and domestic tour operators
The industry is also responsible for a large number of tourist guides that can be found at visitor attractions and on coach and independent tours.
Key facts:
- There are 119,800 people working in the travel and tourist services industry.
- The majority of the workforce has a NVQ Level 4 qualification (35%).
- 4% of the workforce has no qualifications.
- The majority of the workforce is female.
- The majority of the workforce is employed full‐time.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
Jobs in the industry range from: travel agent, tour guide, blue badge tour guide (level 4), business travel agency manager, home‐working travel consultant, tour operator, resort manager, tourism officer, and tourist board manager.
Entry and progression
Entry requirements are varied across the industry and depend on the job. Many employers in the travel services would expect applicants to be educated to degree level. Many large employers will, however, also provide extensive job training. There are opportunities for progression in the industry particularly in larger companies.
For most other jobs, such as tour guides, there are no specific academic requirements, but a willingness to work hard, a good attitude, good communication and team working skills can be an advantage. For public facing roles, employers may prefer candidates who have previous experience of working in a customer service environment and show good people skills, as well as an appreciation of the importance of customer service. There are opportunities for progression in the industry for those willing to take on more responsibility.
There is a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and training schemes available.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
119,800 |
|---|
| Gender: |
38% male |
62% female |
|---|
| Ethnicity: |
90% of the workforce is white and 10% is from black and ethnic minority groups |
|---|
| Age: |
4% of the workforce is aged 16‐19 years |
|---|
| 27% is 20‐29 years |
| 31% is 30‐39 years |
| 14% is 40‐49 years |
| 24% is 50 years and older |
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
Employment trends and future prospects
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
The following table shows the numbers working across the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector and forecasted numbers for 2017. There will also be high demand for new workers to replace those people who have either changed jobs or left the industry altogether.
| 2008 |
2013 |
2017 |
2008‐2017 |
|---|
Managers and Senior Officials
Including:
Travel agency managers |
597,000 |
624,300 |
659,500 |
+9% |
|---|
Personal Service Occupations
Including:
Travel agents
Travel and tour guides |
119,500 |
133,000 |
145,800 |
+22% |
|---|
[N.B. Data from Warwick Institute for Employment Research, Working Futures, 2007‐2017.]
Skill requirements and shortages
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
The five most common skill requirements are: technical, practical or job‐specific skills; customer handling skills; team working skills; oral communication skills; and problem solving skills.
Occupational trends
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
There are a number of ‘core’ occupations commonly found in hospitality, leisure, and the travel and tourism sector. The following table lists the numbers working in these occupations across the whole sector.
| Travel agency managers |
9,000 |
|---|
| Travel agents |
47,500 |
|---|
| Travel and tour guides |
15,900 |
|---|
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
National and regional data
East Midlands – There are approximately 6,300 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 84% work full‐time
- 53% of the workforce is female
- 81% of the workforce is white
- 22% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
- 32% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
As the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as a whole, there are an estimated: 500 travel agency managers; 1,500 travel agents; and 400 travel and tour guides.
East of England – There are approximately 8,200 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 52% work full‐time
- 64% of the workforce is female
- 97% of the workforce is white
- 20% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
- 33% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
As the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as a whole, there are an estimated: 4,900 travel agents; and 1,000 travel and tour guides.
London – There are approximately 16,000 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 85% work full‐time
- 52% of the workforce is female
- 84% of the workforce is white
- 24% of the workforce is 30‐34 years
- 55% of the workforce has an NVQ level 4 and above qualification
Taking the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as a whole, there are an estimated: 2,900 travel agency managers; 6,700 travel agents; and 1,400 travel and tour guides.
North East – There are approximately 5,700 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 52% work full‐time
- The majority of the workforce is female
- 23% of the workforce is 30‐34 years
- 52% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification
North West – There are approximately 12,000 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 84% work full‐time
- 65% of the workforce is female
- 96% of the workforce is white
- Equal proportions of the workforce are aged 20‐24 years (18%) and 30‐34 years (18%)
- 31% of the workforce has an NVQ level 4 or above qualification
As the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as a whole, there are an estimated: 5,700 travel agents; and 1,500 travel and tour guides.
South East – There are approximately 19,200 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 77% work full‐time
- 68% of the workforce is female
- 91% of the workforce is white
- 32% of the workforce is 30‐34 years
- 36% of the workforce has an NVQ level 4 or above qualification
As the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as a whole, there are an estimated: 2,300 travel agency managers; 7,600 travel agents; and 3,700 travel and tour guides.
South West – There are approximately 5,100 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 75% work full‐time
- 82% of the workforce is female
- 18% of the workforce is 55‐59 years
- 43% of the workforce has an NVQ level 4 or above qualification
As the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as a whole, there are an estimated: 2,700 travel agents; and 1,700 travel and tour guides.
West Midlands – There are approximately 6,800 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 60% work full‐time
- 74% of the workforce is female
- 91% of the workforce is white
- 24% of the workforce is 20‐24 years
- 32% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are approximately 7,200 people working in the travel and tourist services industry in this region, of which:
- 56% work full‐time
- 60% of the workforce is female
- 23% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
- 33% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification
Northern Ireland – There are approximately 43,900 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Northern Ireland, of which 1,418 work in the travel and tourist services industry in 100 establishments. Details as follows:
- The majority of the workforce is female and full‐time
- 50% of the workforce is aged 20‐24 years
- 63% of the workforce has an NVQ level 4 qualification
Scotland – There are approximately 183,500 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Scotland, of which 6,847 work in the travel and tourist services industry in 900 establishments. Details as follows:
- The majority of the workforce is female and full‐time
- 28% of the workforce is aged 25‐29 years
- 34% of the workforce has an NVQ level 4 qualification
Wales – There are approximately 86,100 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Wales, of which 5,569 work in travel and tourist services industry in 500 establishments. Details as follows:
- The majority of the workforce is female and full‐time
- 32% of the workforce is aged 16‐24 years
- 46% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification
Salary levels
Pay scales in this industry are variable, so the following only provides an indication of the average annual pay of the current workforce:
- Green Badge Tour Guide (Level 3) £6,000 ‐ £25,000, Blue Badge Tour Guide (Level 4) £6,000 ‐ £25,000
- Local General Tour Guide £6,000 ‐ £25,000, Senior Tour Operator £16,000 ‐ £24,000
- Junior Tour Operator £11,000 ‐ £15,000, Senior Tour Operator £16,000 ‐ £24,000
- Business Travel Agency Manager/Leisure Travel Agency Manager £20,000 ‐ £35,000
- Senior Consultant Business Travel Agent £16,000 ‐ £24,000
- Home Working Travel Consultant £20,000 or more, Travel Consultant Call Centre £14,000 ‐ £20,000
- Tourist Board Tourism Manager £28,000 ‐ £35,000, Local Authority Tourism Manager £25,000 ‐ £38,000
- Tourism Assistant £12,000 ‐ £16,000, Senior Tourism Officer £20,000 ‐ £25,000
- Senior Resort Representative £16,000 ‐ £24,000, Resort Manager £40,000
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using People 1st AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
