Travel industry job titles explained
Travel job titles vary widely between companies. A holiday package consultant, leisure travel consultant and package sales executive are usually the same job. This glossary maps the common titles and terms used in Indian travel hiring so candidates and employers can compare roles accurately.
The terms that appear in every travel job description
These definitions are the ones used across the rest of this site, in job pages and in screening.
Sales and revenue titles
Front line roles that own the enquiry and the booking.
- Holiday package consultant, also leisure travel consultant or package sales executive
- Outbound travel sales executive, international travel sales or FIT sales
- B2B travel sales executive, trade sales or agent network sales
- Key account manager, account manager or client relationship manager
- Travel sales team lead, sales manager or assistant sales manager
Operations titles
Roles that turn a sale into a delivered, profitable trip.
- Tour operations executive, ops executive or operations coordinator
- Itinerary and costing executive, costing executive or product costing
- Visa and documentation executive, visa desk
- Contracting and product executive, supplier contracting
- MICE coordinator, events travel coordinator
- Air ticketing executive, GDS executive or reservations executive
Support titles
Roles that hold the relationship after the booking.
- Travel customer support executive, post-sales or service desk
- On-trip assistance executive, emergency desk
- Corporate travel desk executive, implant or business travel consultant
Glossary of travel hiring terms
- DMC
- Destination Management Company. A local operator in the destination that supplies ground services, transfers, hotels and excursions to travel agencies selling from another country.
- FIT
- Free Independent Traveller. An individual or family booking a customised trip rather than joining a fixed group departure.
- MICE
- Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions. Corporate group travel organised around a business purpose.
- GDS
- Global Distribution System. The reservation systems, mainly Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre and Travelport, used to search, book and reissue air tickets.
- Inbound
- Selling travel into your own country to customers based abroad.
- Outbound
- Selling international travel to customers based in your own country.
- Contracting
- Negotiating rates, allocation and release terms directly with hotels and suppliers so packages can be built at a controlled margin.
- Margin per file
- The profit retained on a single booking after supplier costs, taxes and discounts. The number most travel sales teams are actually judged on.
- Release period
- The deadline by which unsold contracted inventory must be returned to the supplier without penalty.
- ADM
- Agency Debit Memo. A charge raised by an airline against an agency for a ticketing or fare rule error.
Frequently asked questions
What does DMC stand for in travel?
Destination Management Company. A local operator that supplies ground services, hotels and transfers in the destination to agencies selling from another country.
What is the difference between FIT and group travel?
FIT is an individual or family booking a customised trip. Group travel is a fixed departure or a large party moving together on one plan.
What is a GDS in travel?
A Global Distribution System such as Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre or Travelport, used to search, book, reissue and refund air tickets.
What does margin per file mean?
The profit retained on one booking after supplier costs, taxes and discounts. It is the number most travel sales desks are actually judged on.