hat qualities do you need to succeed?

The most important qualities are communication, teamwork and customer service skills. Whatever the location, position or technical skills, to make it in travel and tourism you need to enjoy challenges and have the ability to work well with people.

It is important to appreciate that people around the world have different ways of doing things. Working in the travel and tourism industry, you will come to learn a lot about people.

To find out what it takes to work in this very people-focused industry, we asked many people in the industry. These are some of the qualities they identified:

Communication is the key

 In travel and tourism, you need to communicate with lots of different tourists and not let small hassles get you down. You need to have very good communication skills because you are negotiating travel and accommodation deals with a lot of different hotels and companies. It is important to understand that people from different cultures place different importance on things like punctuality, food preference, tour types and destination.
Stephanie Karst-McGrath - Managing Director, APTC

• maturity and people skills
• the ability to think on your feet
• good selling skills
• the ability to create a rapport with people of different ages and different cultures
• a sense of humour
• an outgoing personality
• a strong customer service ethic and a desire to help people
• good computer skills
• good organisational skills
• good communication and listening skills
• confidence

• leadership
• an empathic attitude that encourages others to place their trust in you
• health and fitness
• a practical nature and commonsense
• good general knowledge
• problem-solving skills
• enjoyment of the outdoors
• the ability to work in a team
• a good memory for people's names
• strong attention to detail, because a little mistake could mean a major disaster.

The list covers many things, including interpersonal skills, personality and outlook on life. These skills and an appreciation for the demands of travelling will help you enjoy a successful and fulfilling travel and tourism career.