What is a travel counselor?

Answer 1

A Travel Counsellor is a professional who sells and advises the public about travel products and services. In the United States, the term "travel agent' tends to be used more than Travel Counsellor. The idea of an 'agent' arose due to the fact that retail travel professionals sell the products of suppliers, such as tour operators, cruises, car rentals, airlines, Travel Insurance and more. So, in a sense, the travel professional is acting as an 'agent' to represent those products to the consumer. In Canada, the term 'travel counsellor" is used, with the idea that a travel professional 'counsels' the client about all the options available to them, in order to fulfill their travel needs. Most travel counsellors have a computer on their desk, called a GDS (Global Distribution System), in which thousands of supplier products are listed. Therefore a client with a particular need can be 'counselled' about which options work best for their travel plans. When a consumer visits a travel internet site on their own, they may only see those products that the site chooses to list. The consumer often has to make a decision based on the narrow choices presented to him/her, rather than all the options that are actually available to that traveller. This is why the trend these days is to research on the internet, but then go to a travel professional to book travel services. This especially holds true in a recession-economy where travellers want the best value for their dollar and prefer not to spend hours and hours trying to find that value. Statistically, travel counsellors save consumers money, time and time again, when compared with internet bookings. The highest level of travel counselling is reflected by the CTC (Certified Travel Counsellor) designation. This is a voluntary program based on an evaluation by the industry's educational association, on nationally recognized skills. In the US, The Travel Institute (www.ThetravelInstitute.com)awards te CTC and other professional designations. In Canada the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors (www.citc.ca)manages the CTC program.