The Ultimate Guide to Tourism Service Careers

Updated On: February 01, 2024 by   Ciaran Connolly

The tourism service sector is incredibly diverse in the roles available. From travel agents through to venue managers and retail sales assistants, there are many entry points to this industry that have great progression opportunities.

Many of these roles are customer facing, meaning that you will need to have excellent customer service skills for dealing with a wide variety of customers. Many tourists travel to Ireland from all over the world, so speaking a second language can be invaluable in a tourism service related role.

You can expect to earn €14,000 in an entry level role, and can earn up to $80,000 as a highly experienced venue or booking manager overseeing large scale accounts. Working hours are often evening and weekend based, and holidays are also a peak period where all hands need to be on deck.

Skills and Experience needed to obtain a Tourism Service Career

• Experience working within a previous customer service environment
• Related qualifications and third level education where necessary
• Commitment to the highest standards of customer service
• Impeccable personal presentation and interpersonal skills
• A passion for the Tourism sector
• Self-motivated and driven qualities
• A can-do, problem-solving approach to work
• Ability to speak a foreign language (desirable)
• Experience in sales and upselling
• Ability to work as part of a busy team

Pursuing a career in tourism service is a highly rewarding experience that rewards hard work and drive with a highly engaging and fun job that pays well and offers many incentives. If you think this sounds like the right sector for you, read on to find out the variety of tourism service roles available.

Venue Manager

The venue manager is responsible for the management of all venue operations. This includes staff management, problem solving, oversight of setup and events, and coordination of bookings. They are the key person who ensures that a venue is ready for guests every day, coordinating the cleaning, setup and service teams for the venue. 

A venue manager needs to be a fantastic multitasker with a great eye for detail, making sure that every guest enjoys their time at the venue. There is much overlap with event management in this role, meaning that many venue manager roles encompass this as well.

Top Venue Manager Vacancies:

Booking Manager

A booking manager manages all aspects of bookings for a venue. This is a common role in hotels that provide conference and events facilities, as these need a dedicated person to manage the logistical needs from the hotel’s end.

This role involves ensuring that customers are able to book and organise their event easily, providing a key point of contact throughout the process and ensuring that all facilities are available on the day of the event. The booking manager may also take care of the billing responsibilities for their customers, providing a more personal approach to the service delivery.

Top Booking Manager Vacancies:

Tourism Officer

A tourism service officer is primarily responsible for helping tourists find interesting places to visit and things to do during their holiday. Many towns have a tourist or visitors centre for tourists to visit for guidance and advice about where to go in the local area.

This invaluable tourism service job entails responsibility for ensuring that customers get the best advice during their visit, and as such needs to know the local area and tourist destinations thoroughly. In this role, you will meet people from all over the world!

Top Tourism Service Officer Vacancies:

Travel Agent

A travel agent is a key point of contact when organising any holiday, and will take the hassle out of planning a trip. Travel agents will help customers plan and book their trip, suggesting suitable flights and accommodation to fit the customer’s budget, and suggesting activities and excursions to book as part of the package. Travel agents are invaluable when it comes to planning large trips as they usually have access to the best deals and can offer multiple options for customers to consider.

Top Travel Agent Vacancies:

Retail/Sales Assistant

Retail plays an important part of the tourism sector; gift shops in tourist venues, merchandise stands and department stores are all crucial elements of the tourist experience.  A Retail Sales Assistant is responsible for all sales activities and sales associate job duties, from greeting customers, answering questions, offering assistance, suggesting items, lending opinions and providing product information.

Individual responsibilities as a Retail Sales Associate may include demonstrating outstanding customer service and selling skills, keeping the selling floor stocked with merchandise, assisting in display of merchandise or organizing the selling floor and stock areas.

Top Retail/Sales Vacancies:

Now that you have a full oversight of the roles available within Tourism Service environment, you are ready to find the perfect role to start your career in the sector.