A Travel Advisor, previously referred to as a Travel Agent, is a person who simplifies the time-consuming and complicated process of planning travel for their customers in addition to providing consultation services and travel packages.

A Recognized Travel Advisor (RTA) is an educated travel professional who has completed the Travel Advisor Resource Center's (TARC) Recognized Travel Advisor program, and has taken steps to advance and elevate their business in the travel industry. They have learned what it means to be a Travel Advisor, the benefits of using a Travel Advisor, how to find and cultivate the right clients, how to choose a niche market, and how to propel their business toward success.

After all of your hard work, we want to make sure you have the tools to effectively market yourself as an expert Travel Advisor! Once you pass your final exam, we will send you a personalized certificate from Travel Advisor Resource Center (TARC) to showcase your brand new achievement in the travel industry. This certificate is recognized by IATA, CCRA, and several host agencies throughout the travel industry.

Tourism accounts for 1 in 10 jobs worldwide and is part of almost every industry. Becoming a Travel Advisor is a lot of work, but it is also an extremely rewarding career. Sending clients on bucket list trips, watching them learn from other cultures, organizing events, or planning weddings are just a few of the great ways that Travel Advisors can work with clients. The fact is, people like to travel for personal reasons and many also travel for professional reasons; whatever the reason, they do it best with a trusted Travel Advisor.

There are several certification programs that teach advisors general business principles and practices, business ethics, writing skills, customer service, teamwork, communication, and managing customer needs. Advisors may also learn about accepting credit cards, planning itineraries, and itinerary creation. Feedback from new travel advisors has shown us they find these courses lacking in providing real world skills and knowledge they need to hit the ground running and be successful in their new career/business. The Recognized Travel Advisor (RTA) program briefly covers each of the topics listed above to help advisors regulate their business, but it is not our primary focus. Our certification takes advisors to the next level by exploring the different facets of the industry and demonstrating how to be a successful travel advisor, more than just a business owner. This certification was created by actual Travel Advisors, not just a travel corporation. We created the RTA program to be the “Next Level” option. When advisors are ready to cultivate leads, create their brand, and align their business the right way, we give them the knowledge they need. We teach them about niche markets, why they are important, and how to choose them. We go into each market segment (cruises, tours, all-inclusives, and land packages), as well as different niches in our industry (romance, groups, and Disney) to help advisors become experts when trying to find the right clientele. Too many advisors ask all the wrong questions about these subjects, and it is not their fault. It is because they have not received proper education to know which questions to ask or where to look for their answers. That’s where the RTA program comes in. After learning about niche markets, we provide a module on Air Travel, Travel Protection, and an introduction about Customer Service, Sales, and Marketing. Our final section helps advisors develop their business. We discuss why relationships are important in our industry – with suppliers and with clients. We discuss the different industry affiliations (IATA/TRUE/CLIA/ARC) and explain what consortia are, so advisors can be better equipped to handle their introduction to the industry and know the terminology and best practices that they may not have been expecting. We provide our certification program to new and experienced advisors looking to elevate their knowledge of this industry.