what does it takes towork in the cruise industry,what courses?

Question

currently advancing inTravel and Tourism.

Answer 1

In the US you need to first either attend travel school or work for a period of time for an authorized travel agency. In the travel business there is an agency (ARC = Airline Resettlement Commission) which controls all of the distribution of travel funds and you must be a member in order to participate. You gain that participation by schooling and work in the business. Then you need to join a travel association, like ASTA or CLIA, which show you are a professional travel person.

You should look into attending a travel school like maybe Carlson Travel. There are several others that are nationwide(see web site below). I attended Carlson and they offer full time and part-time classes. Once you finish the school, they will help you with placement, finding a job. You really need to work in the business under an agency for a while to learn how things are done. Once you finish schooling and or your apprenticeship, you are assigned a IATA number. That number is your ticket to getting paid and getting discounts on travel.

Check the IATA site below first.

Answer 2

I am a travel agent and agency owner, and one of my specialties is cruises. First, take a look at www.cruising.org (CLIA's website). This will give you a farily good idea of what agents who sell cruises need to know. You will need to get as much training as you can. It really helps to be a cruiser yourself.

Are you a travel agent? If so and you do not have a host agency, you will need one if you are new to the industry. Be careful, there are some lousy programs out there. E-mail me if you have any quesitons.