A Holiday Rep is a person who is responsible for looking after a group of tourists on a holiday or a tour at the resort he or she is working with. Their main concern is to make sure that every tourist enjoys their tour to the fullest and that everything is running smoothly for them.

Generally speaking, tour operators normally have to create a good first impression on their client and continue providing some of the best high class services to their clients all through the duration of the tour. This is why a holiday rep has to take care of every aspects of the tourist.

Their main role includes resolving problems, handling complaints and welcoming clients. A holiday rep usually has a responsibility for adding extra services and selling few resort excursions like car hire to their clients. Working activities of a Holiday Rep.

Working activities of a holiday rep may vary somewhat depending on who is the tour operator however some of the activities include:-

-Guiding the tourists to their accommodation

-Selling several services such as car on hire

-Selling and even organizing several outdoor activities like resort excursions

-Meeting tourists at the airport

-Handling all the issues of every guest like problems with rooms, allegations of crimes like thefts, lost passports or luggage's, health related problems and injuries including deaths.

-Maintaining and establishing relationships with travel companies, apartment owners, travel agents and local hoteliers

-Hosting and organizing welcome meetings for around 200 people

-Responding to clients queries

-Maintaining a detailed information of the resort and even the local area in turn to answer to the queries of every client

-Maintaining a detailed information of every type of excursions being offered

-Dealing with some of the unexpected non-client problems such as coach strikes or flight delays

-Keeping an update of all the activities and the local events that may perhaps interest a client

-Resolving any disagreement between or with the client

-Keeping records, accounts and writing reports of the tour

-Checking the safety standards and procedures of the hotel

-Taking part in or even organizing evening or daytime entertainment programs

-Accompanying clients or tourists on their excursions as a guide

Career development

To work around the clock as a holiday rep is very demanding and intensive. Consequently, most of the people do not work in this particular field for more than 2 to 3 years.

Head holiday representative is a person who is responsible for supervising and training new holiday reps and normally acts as main focal point of contact for a tour operator. A holiday rep has a great opportunity of becoming a resort manager.

Most of the resorts have gateway managers where-in resort managers have to manage several resorts. Some of the bigger companies recruit resort managers from within their company by providing them excellent career opportunities for holiday reps that need to develop in this particular industry.

Some of the positions which are open for holiday reps that are anxious to have a successful career in this particular industry include:-

- Guest Services Management

- problem solving and trouble shooting above the day to day problems which arise.

- Client Affairs

- Specializing in some of the areas like health, safety and quality. Related qualification is needed in order to move to this position however most of the companies support staff that is developing this type of training.

- Specialist Resort management

- improving new innovations and ideas for developing and even running specialist holidays like entertainment, weddings etc.

There are lots of opportunities for holiday reps within the travel industry which includes tourism consultancies, tourist information centers, tourist boards, tour operators and travel agents.