Travel Specialist – Reservations & Tour Operations

About the role

The Travel Specialist will manage product reservations and scheduled tour operations for a leading integrated tourism group in Southern Africa. The role focuses on delivering exceptional service to clients and suppliers while ensuring smooth execution of tours, transfers, and accommodation bookings.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor and process emails in the reservations shared mailbox, adhering to response standards.
• Handle website live‑chat inquiries promptly and follow live‑chat protocols.
• Prepare and send accurate quotes for accommodation, tours, and transfers using department templates.
• Book and confirm tours, airport transfers, day tours, add‑nights and charter requests across all sales channels.
• Manage supplier allocations, block scheduled departures, and track group numbers.
• Invoice bookings, process pre‑payments, deposits and ensure timely supplier payments.
• Apply cancellation policies, process refunds and maintain profitability monitoring.

Required profile

• Matric qualification.
• Excellent knowledge of South African tourist attractions, routes, seasonality and transport infrastructure.
• Strong verbal, telephonic and written communication skills.
• Excellent problem‑solving, organisational and time‑management abilities.
• Attention to detail, basic financial understanding and a collaborative team mindset.

Required skills

• Working knowledge of Tourplan.
• Proficiency with online reservation systems.
• Microsoft Word, Excel and Teams.