Tour manager
Make sure that tours for groups of holidaymakers run smoothly and that they enjoy themselves.
Also known as: tour director
About the job
What it's like
You'd make sure that tours for groups of holidaymakers run smoothly and that they enjoy themselves. You would stay with a group throughout their tour, telling them about details like arrival and departure times and places of interest.
It's most likely that you would work on coach tours, although some tours also take place by rail or cruise ship. Tours can last from two to three days to over a month.
Your tasks might include:
welcoming tour groups at the start of their trip
informing them of travel arrangements and stopover points
making sure all travel arrangements run according to plan
making sure accommodation, meals and service are satisfactory
helping with passport and immigration issues
giving spoken overviews of places en route (local guides may also be used)
promoting and selling excursions to tour members
advising on sights, local restaurants and shops at each destination
recording issues that may require follow-up after the tour
You'd need to be ready at all times to give advice, solve problems and deal with any emergencies.
You could also specialise in the business travel sector. You would then manage travel for people on business trips. You may have to deal with insurance, visas, vehicle hire and changes of plan.
Hours
You'd be responsible for the group throughout their tour, working from early morning until late in the evening, including weekends. You could be on call 24 hours a day. You could work full-time or become freelance, working from tour to tour. The work can often be seasonal, with more jobs available during holiday periods.
Environment
Most tours would involve indoor and outdoor elements.
Travel
You'd have to follow the tour, so you may often spend long periods away from home.
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Tourism
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- recruitment strategies
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- recalling
- time management
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- respecting
- empathising
- problem solving
- creative
- verbal communication
- supporting
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Modern Languages
Cantonese
English and Communication
French
Geography
German
Italian
Mandarin
Skills for Work: Hospitality
Spanish
Skills for Work: Travel and Tourism
Urdu
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this role but most employers value a good general education at SCQF levels 4 to 6.
Qualifications in leisure and tourism are available at all levels through colleges and universities and you may find it useful to complete one of these, but it is not essential.
Skills and personality are important.
Qualifications and experience that show customer services skills, knowledge of leisure, travel and tourism and organisational skills such as Skills for Work: Travel and Tourism (SCQF level 4/5) or Higher National Certificate in Active Tourism (SCQF level 7).
Fluency in a foreign language is helpful if working overseas.
You should have knowledge of and interest in the history and geography of the area you want to work in.
You will also normally need a driving licence.
For some jobs, you may need to be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
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