Application

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to proactively sell tourism, travel, hospitality or event products. It requires the ability to identify specific customer needs, suggest a range of products to meet those needs, provide current and accurate product information and close the sale. The unit only covers sales skills and not related product and destination knowledge which is covered in other units.

The product can include any international or domestic product sold by any tourism, travel, hospitality, or event organisation.

The organisation could be a principal (the supplier) or an agent selling products on behalf of the principal. The sale may be made for a single product or multiple products making up a complete package or itinerary.

This unit applies to frontline sales or operations personnel who operate with some level of independence and under limited supervision. This includes travel consultants, inbound tour coordinators, visitor information officers, account managers for professional conference organisers, event coordinators, tour guides, restaurant managers, banquet coordinators or managers, resort activities coordinators, tour desk officers, reservations sales agents, and owner-operators of tourism organisations.

Unit mapping information

SITTTSL303 Sell tourism products and services

Licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements

The sale of travel and tourism products is subject to specific regulations under several federal and state or territory pieces of legislation:

• Personnel selling travel insurance to a client must meet the requirements of the Financial Services Reform Act (2001)

• Inbound tour operators (ITOs), irrespective of their location, selling tours that operate within Queensland are subject to the Queensland Tourism Services Act (2003). They must register with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. This law also applies to tour guides residing anywhere in Australia when working in Queensland and selling local products. ITO personnel and guides do not need to meet any training or certification requirements

Foundation skills

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Unit sector or competency field

Tourism—Tourism Sales and Operations

Prerequisite, co-requisite or interdependent assessment of units

Not applicable

Assessment conditions

Skills must be demonstrated in a business operation or activity that sells tourism, travel, hospitality or events products. This can be:

• an industry workplace

• a simulated industry environment set up for the purposes of assessment

Assessment must ensure access to:

• computers and information systems currently used by the tourism, travel, hospitality and event industries to store product-related information

• internet

• printer

• storage for computer data

• telephone

• specific computerised systems and software programs currently used by tourism, travel, hospitality and events industry operators to:

  • administer travel documents

  • control product inventory

  • control the reservations function for the supply of product

  • facilitate airfare calculations

  • prepare quotations

  • process reservations

  • process event registrations

  • store industry-related and product information

• computerised reservations systems (CRS) currently used in the tourism industry to administer booking and operational functions, book supplier services and maintain accounting records

• customers with whom the individual can interact; these can be:

  • customers in an industry workplace who are assisted by the individual during the assessment process; or

  • individuals who participate in role plays or simulated activities, set up for the purpose of assessment, in a simulated industry environment operated within a training organisation

Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations’ requirements for assessors; and:

• have worked in industry for at least three years where they have applied the skills and knowledge of this unit of competency