Org chart
The operations branch is shown in depth, from the operations head to a tour operations manager and the coordinators, reservation staff and tour managers. Sales, ticketing, corporate, marketing, accounts and HR are drawn one level down. Tour managers travel with groups.
Levels and designations
| Level | Typical designations | Span of control |
|---|---|---|
| L1 Leadership | Managing Director, CEO | 5 to 7 heads |
| L2 Function heads | Operations Head, Sales Head, Ticketing Head, Corporate and MICE Head | 3 to 6 reports |
| L3 Managers | Tour Operations Manager, Sales Manager, Corporate Account Manager | 4 to 12 staff |
| L4 Executives | Tour Coordinator, Reservation Executive, Travel Consultant, Ticketing Executive | no direct reports |
Approval chains
| Request | Approval chain |
|---|---|
| Leave | Travel Consultant → Sales Head → HR Executive |
| Attendance correction | Reservation Executive → Tour Operations Manager → HR Executive |
| Overtime | Ticketing Executive → Ticketing Head → HR Executive |
| Reimbursement | Tour Manager → Tour Operations Manager → Accounts Manager |
| Hiring | Tour Operations Manager → Operations Head → HR Executive |
How the structure works
Selling a trip and running it are different jobs, so the company splits them. Sales consultants and counters handle enquiries, design itineraries, quote and close bookings, working to sales targets. Tour operations turn a booking into a running trip: coordinators arrange hotels, transport and guides, reservation executives block and confirm services, and tour managers travel with groups to run the tour on the ground. Ticketing books flights, rail and visas. A corporate and MICE desk serves company clients with travel and events. Marketing brings enquiries, and accounts settles supplier payments and refunds. HR supports a workforce that is partly in office and partly on the road.
How it changes with size
A small agency may be an owner with a few consultants and a ticketing person. A mid-sized operator builds separate sales, operations and ticketing teams and a corporate desk. A large travel company adds destination teams, a large operations centre, branch offices in several cities, a contracting team that negotiates with hotels and airlines, and separate leisure and corporate divisions. Online booking may run alongside the counters. Through every stage the split between selling the trip and operating it stays, because a promise made at sale must be delivered on the ground by operations.
Common problems
Season is everything. Bookings and departures peak in summer and around festivals, when consultants and operations work long hours and few can take leave, then quieten sharply off season. Tour managers travel with groups for days, away from any office. Enquiries come in evenings and weekends during peak. Refunds and cancellations spike when plans change. The steady fixes are leave planned around the season, mobile attendance for tour managers on the road, and one function manager as reporting manager per executive so cover during departures and peak is clear.
- Leave planned around summer and festival peaks
- Mobile attendance for tour managers travelling with groups
- Peak evening and weekend cover rostered for consultants
- One function manager as reporting manager per executive
Set up this structure in ZeniaHR
- Create departments for Sales, Tour Operations, Ticketing, Corporate and MICE, Marketing, Accounts and HR, so staff group by function.
- Add designations such as Travel Consultant, Reservation Executive, Tour Coordinator, Tour Manager and Tour Operations Manager, and use grades to hold pay bands.
- Give every executive a reporting manager, usually their function manager, and an HR partner, so leave and corrections route correctly.
- Set a General shift for the office with peak-season rosters, and use mobile app punches for tour managers who travel with groups.
- Plan leave around the season using the leave calendar, so departures and peak weeks always have enough consultants and operations staff.
- Keep leave, corrections and overtime on the reporting manager then HR route, and add function heads as reimbursement and hiring approvers.
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the organizational structure of a travel company?
A travel company is led by a managing director over sales, tour operations, ticketing and a corporate desk. Sales consultants sell packages, operations plan and run the trips with coordinators and tour managers, and ticketing books flights and rail. Marketing brings enquiries, and accounts and HR support the business. Large companies add destination teams, branch offices and separate leisure and corporate divisions.
Who does a travel consultant report to?
A travel consultant reports to the sales manager or sales head, while tour coordinators and reservation staff report to the tour operations manager. For leave and attendance corrections in ZeniaHR, the request goes to the person's reporting manager and then to HR. Because peak season needs full cover, leave is planned around departures and busy weeks.
How does a travel company handle seasonal peaks?
Bookings and departures peak in summer and around festivals, so leave is planned around the season using the leave calendar, and consultants and operations staff are rostered to cover peak evenings and weekends. Tour managers travelling with groups punch on the mobile app. The finalized attendance month feeds payable days, and travel is added as a payroll input by HR.