Working in travel
Myth Vs Reality
Think you know the travel industry? We speak to experts from across the sector to bust common misconceptions and share their experience of working in this dynamic field
MYTH: “There isnât much variety when it comes to career choices in the travel industry”
TRUTH: “Travel is a diverse and dynamic sector that doesnât sit still â itâs full of opportunities”
Lisa Fitzell is managing director for UK-based tour operators Elegant Resorts and If Only, which offer luxury beach and tailor-made holidays in destinations worldwide.Â
Travel is a $9.9 trillion industry; itâs a diverse and dynamic sector that doesnât sit still, and itâs filled with opportunities for people keen to develop their careers.
The opportunities in travel are incredibly varied, from creating itineraries for tour operators to marketing, sales, sustainability, tech, finance, business travel, event planning, customer service, luxury travel and beyond.
I began my career on a YTS (youth training scheme) at Lunn Poly travel agency when I was 16, before later getting into tour operating. Since then, Iâve lived and worked in Sydney, Toronto, Bangkok and beyond, as well as the UK, where Iâm now based as managing director of Elegant Resorts â so the industry can open up some amazing opportunities.
If youâre considering going into travel, think about what youâre passionate about and which areas you might enjoy the most. Demonstrate that enthusiasm. Where have you travelled to and why do you want to join the industry? Explore apprenticeships and graduate programmes, or consider a travel and tourism degree â then research the companies that appeal to you and contact them.
Be prepared to start at a lower level or even ask for work experience. If you have drive and ambition, and show you can deliver great results, opportunities will present themselves.
MYTH: âThe travel industry isnât very tech-savvyâÂ
TRUTH: âTechnology is our secret sauce â itâs what makes us so successfulâ
Andrew Phillips is chief technology officer for Skyscanner, a travel search engine that helps users find deals on flights, hotels and car rentals.
People often assume that itâs just software engineers who use tech, but the truth is that in a business such as Skyscanner, technology is central to all teams. Our technology is our secret sauce: itâs what makes us so successful, and itâs why more than 110 million people use Skyscanner across the world every month. For example, we have an AI assistant that everyone in the company uses to find information.
Our tech roles include the likes of product management, user research and data science. Technology helps us understand what travellers want and allows us to build products and features that address traveller âpain pointsâ.
It also gives us the ability to iterate and innovate, so we can predict and solve problems for the future needs of travellers. Achieving this requires a wide range of specialists to work together across projects â so itâs no surprise that more than two-thirds of our 1,400-strong workforce are in tech roles.
As an example, we have several mature AI-powered services operating at scale in areas such as destination recommendations, flights and hotel rankings.
One new tool weâre currently testing explores how generative AI can be applied to the travel planning journey in our app. This âsavvy searchâ tool helps travellers discover new places, seek out unforgettable experiences and find travel inspiration, all by asking one simple question: What kind of trip is on your mind?
This isnât something our software engineers build in silos; instead, itâs a collaborative effort that requires skillsets from multiple teams and disciplines across the business.
MYTH: âPeople book their own holidays these days, so there arenât many opportunitiesâ
TRUTH: âThis couldnât be further from reality â travel agents are in demand thanks to the choice, value and consumer protection they offerâ
Daniella Allen is head of analytics at loveholidays, an online travel agency that offers a wide range of holiday packages, with offices in London and DĂŒsseldorf
Working in travel is far more varied than many people realise. As head of analytics, my role entails leading a team of 13 analysts who interpret the mountains of data available to us as an online travel agency. Itâs my teamâs job to highlight trends, track performance, optimise outputs and identify new opportunities for the business.
The idea of people moving away from booking their holidays with a travel agent â whether in a physical store or through an online platform â couldnât be further from reality. Agents are in demand thanks to the choice and value they offer, as well as the consumer protection that package holidays provide.
The travel industry has experienced a huge resurgence following the pandemic and, despite the recent cost-of-living pressures, travel is the one thing that many people wonât compromise on. The growth weâve seen at loveholidays since the pandemic is a testament to this. Weâve trebled the number of customers weâre sending on holiday this year compared with 2019, which has translated into significant growth in the size of our team.
Beyond the impact of the pandemic, the use of online travel agents has skyrocketed in the past decade, as a result of technology breakthroughs.
This shift has resulted in the creation of a number of new jobs, particularly in areas such as data, software engineering, product design and digital marketing. While more âtraditionalâ travel roles still exist, two-thirds of our workforce at loveholidays are in technology-related roles, serving as a reminder of the many paths you can take in travel.
MYTH: âThose working in travel donât get paid a very good salaryâ
TRUTH: âThere are opportunities to move through the ranks quickly, where salaries riseâ
Ian Brooks is partner and co-founder of Gail Kenny Executive Recruitment, which specialises in filling roles in the travel industry, with a particular focus on digital and technology.
The travel industry is sometimes perceived as a low payer compared with other industries. In terms of entry-level positions, thereâs some justification for that perception. However, there are plenty of opportunities in travel that mean people can often move through the ranks relatively quickly, without the emphasis on education and qualifications [that is found in other sectors] â meritocracy often rules in the travel industry.
We specialise in mid to senior management positions, where salaries start to rise to very decent levels â especially at âhead ofââlevel roles and beyond. Salary levels tend to be higher than average in some disciplines. These include digital marketing and eâcommerce jobs, where candidates can be attracted from outside travel, so the salary levels need to compete with other industry sectors.
There will always be openings and opportunities within travel for people who are skilled in selling â whether this is selling direct to consumers or via the travel trade.
Most sales roles in travel will have a commission or bonus element linked to them and, in some instances, this can add significantly to the base salary level. So the salary might look on the low side at first sight, but when you add the commission or bonus, the OTE (onâtarget earnings) can be high. Good sales people know this and many are happy to work in this targeted way.
MYTH: âThe travel industry doesnât value sustainabilityâ
TRUTH: âWeâve set ambitious emission-reduction targets â tourism is a powerful force for goodâ
Thomas Ellerbeck is chief sustainability officer at Tui Group, responsible for overseeing sustainability initiatives at one of the worldâs largest travel companies.
The travel industry certainly does value sustainability and is going to great lengths right now to make it a priority.
Many are looking at carbon footprints and focusing on minimising environmental impact. At Tui, weâve set a series of ambitious emissionâreduction targets for 2030 across our groupâowned hotels, as well as in our airline and cruise operations (46.2%, 27.5% and 24% respectively, compared with 2019 levels).
Weâre seeing our customers prioritise sustainability, which is driving further change in the industry. In 2023, more than 10.5 million customers chose hotels that adhered to the standards set by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, reflecting a significant increase from the previous year.
The cruise sector is adapting too; as an example, our newest cruise ship, Mein Schiff 7, is the first in our fleet that will be able to use green methanol in the future.
Within a year, Tui Airlines also aims to be almost entirely free of singleâuse plastics, and weâre using AI to cut food waste, while launching various ecoâfocused projects â so there are plenty of opportunities for careers in the field for those passionate about sustainability.
But it is about more than reducing emissions. For many people in the world, tourism is key to a more secure and prosperous life. It creates employment, provides education and drives up social and environmental standards.
Through our Tui Care Foundation, we aim to strengthen the positives that tourism brings into destinations and help find solutions to the challenges.
Tui isnât alone in these endeavours; itâs part of a wider industry effort to ensure tourism is used as a powerful force for good, supporting global prosperity and wellbeing for future generations.
