If there are any travel professionals reading this, you might want to check out the 14th Annual Retailer Salary & Compensation Survey. Among the findings:
- Certified Travel Counselors beat the survey average for income by more than $3,000, with an average compensation of $35,555.
Specialization also continues to be a key factor in shaping retailer earning power. Retailers who focused on one or more sales specializations in addition to general travel sales increased their earnings by $2,088 over 2003.
Eighty-six percent of respondents said they were happy in their current positions, a 7 percent increase from 2003, and 87% said they plan to remain in the travel industry for the rest of their careers. Education is also on the upswing. Ninety-two percent of retailers participated in some type of educational activity in 2004, up 5 percent from 2003, including 60 percent of respondents who participated in a formal certification program. The most popular options for education and training included FAMS, supplier and/or destination sponsored seminars, travel industry conferences and trade shows and in-print education in an industry publication.
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