Tourist Information Centre Manager

Tourist information centers (TICs) provide information and advice to the general public about visitor attractions, amenities, events, accommodation, transport and other facilities in the local area and nationwide. Managers are responsible for the recruitment and training of staff, the purchasing of items for sale, such as books, postcards, gifts and souvenirs, and the smooth running of their centre.

To be successful, TIC managers must have the ability to forward plan and predict what the public want. This can be a dynamic and rewarding area of work but it may also be very demanding and involve long hours for relatively low pay. All tourist information centre (TIC) managers are responsible for the day-to-day running of their centre, and the amount and type of work involved will very much depend upon the size and location of the centre and its position within the local authority structure.

However, it is possible to generalise, and typical tasks will probably include some or all of the following: ensuring that the centre is well presented, organized, easy to use and accessible, communicating information to members of the public, dealing with enquiries in person and by post, email and phone, operating accommodation and other booking services and selling tickets for travel and local events.
Gathering information about and working with local businesses and visitor attractions, keeping up to date with any changes in tourist activities and events,publicising the centre's services and assisting with the marketing of other local amenities.

Recruiting, training, managing, appraising and motivating staff, coordinating the workload of others and working as part of a team,ICT work – including managing destination management systems, website development, e-commerce and online booking, preparing reports, organizing rotes and attending meetings, identifying, implementing and monitoring commercial opportunities and additional services to raise revenue.

Controlling and monitoring the TIC budget to ensure the centre achieves its objectives in the most cost-effective way, implementing health and safety regulations and monitoring work practices, ensuring that the centre is run in accordance with policies and guidelines, providing support for the marketing and tourism development service by supplying and interpreting TIC data, as well as working closely with the local council leisure and tourism department.