Tour Manager

Tour managers (or tour directors) organize and accompany groups of holiday makers on package tours to a wide variety of UK and overseas locations. They play a central role in ensuring that their clients enjoy their holiday, as well as providing them with practical support throughout the trip.

Tour managers are responsible for accompanying tours from beginning to end. In some companies, before tours are publicized and booked, they are involved with planning tour schedules.

Most tour manager’s work on a self-employed basis for tour operators, ranging from international companies to small, special interest operators. This is a demanding, but varied and rewarding role.

Typical work activities include: visiting destinations and suggesting interesting travel routes or places of interest, accompanying groups travelling by coach, although on specialist tours travel may be by mini-bus, car, boat, train or plane, welcoming groups of holiday makers at their starting point, checking that all members of the group have arrived and, if not, making investigations through the company.

Checking tickets and other relevant documents, seat allocations and any special requirements, commentating, during the journey, on places of interest along the route, communicating a range of information on itineraries, destinations and culture, informing passengers of arrival and departure times at each destination on the itinerary (including ensuring that all members of the group are back on the coach before departing from each stop),promoting and selling excursions and trips to clients.

Providing information on places where the group is stopping for accommodation, meals or sightseeing, ensuring that the tour is running smoothly for individual members of the group, responding to questions and offering help with any problems that arise - these can be as simple as directing a member of the group to the nearest chemist or arranging help with luggage, but could also include tracing lost baggage etc.

Dealing with emergencies such as helping a holidaymaker who is ill or those needing to contact family members urgently, contacting places to stay or visit, ahead of arrival time, to check details and arrangements, liaising with hotels, coach companies, restaurants and other clients, occasionally making accommodation bookings on proposed dates, writing reports and maintaining records.