As a tour manager, your resume challenge may involve succinctly conveying the breadth of your logistical coordination and people management skills. Our guide can assist by providing strategies to effectively highlight your on-the-road achievements and tailor your experience to the needs of potential employers.
- Defining the highlights of your tour manager career through your resume summary, objective, and experience.
- Real-world tour manager resume samples with best practices on how to stand out amongst the endless pile of candidate resumes.
- Most in-demand tour manager resume skills and certifications across the industry.
- Standardizing your resume layout, while maintaining your creativity and individuality.
If the tour manager resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:
Formatting the layout of your tour manager resume: design, length, and more
When it comes to the format of your tour manager resume , you've plenty of opportunities to get creative. But, as a general rule of thumb, there are four simple steps you could integrate into your resume layout.
- If you have plenty of experience, you'd like to showcase, invest in the reverse-chronological resume format . This format focuses on your latest experience items and skills you've learned during your relevant (and recent) jobs.
- Don't go over the two-page limit, when creating your professional tour manager resume. Curate within it mainly experience and skills that are relevant to the job.
- Make sure your tour manager resume header includes all of your valid contact information. You could also opt to display your professional portfolio or LinkedIn profile.
- Submit or send out your tour manager resume as a PDF, so you won't lose its layout and design.
The layout of a resume can differ by region – Canadian resumes may use a distinct format.
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PRO TIP
Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.
The six in-demand sections for your tour manager resume:
- Top one-third should be filled with a header, listing your contact details, and with a summary or objective, briefly highlighting your professional accolades
- Experience section, detailing how particular jobs have helped your professional growth
- Notable achievements that tie in your hard or soft skills with tangible outcomes
- Popular industry certificates to further highlight your technical knowledge or people capabilities
- Education to showcase your academic background in the field
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Proven experience in planning and organizing tours, including itinerary development and logistical coordination.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to manage and lead diverse groups effectively during tours.
- Demonstrated ability to handle emergencies and unforeseen situations calmly and professionally.
- Knowledge of multiple languages to communicate with international clients and vendors, or to lead tours in non-English speaking countries.
- Experience with budget management and financial reporting for tours, ensuring cost-effectiveness and financial accountability.
What to include in the experience section of your tour manager resume
The resume experience section is perhaps the most important element in your application as it needs to showcase how your current profile matches the job.
While it may take some time to perfect your tour manager experience section, here are five tips to keep in mind when writing yours:
- Assess the advert to make a list of key requirements and look back on how each of your past jobs answers those;
- Don't just showcase you know a particular skill, instead, you need proof in the form of tangible results (e.g. numbers, percent, etc.);
- It's perfectly fine to leave off experience items that don't bring anything extra to your skill set or application;
- Recruiters want to understand what the particular value is of working with you, so instead of solely featuring technologies, think about including at least one bullet that's focused on your soft skills;
- Take care with wording each bullet to demonstrate what you've achieved, using a particular skill, and an action verb.
The below tour manager resume examples can help guide you to curate your professional experience, following industry-leading tips and advice.
- Oversaw multi-country tours for high-profile artists, ensuring seamless logistical arrangements for venues hosting upwards of 10,000 fans per event.
- Negotiated contracts with global vendors, achieving a 15% cost reduction on travel and accommodations for the touring crew and band members.
- Implemented a real-time tour management software system that increased communication efficiency by 25% across the team.
- Spearheaded the scheduling and organization of 150+ tour dates globally, coordinating between promoters, venues, and touring parties efficiently.
- Generated an increase in tour merchandise sales by 30% through strategic placement and marketing at each venue.
- Cultivated strong industry relationships leading to exclusive opportunities, such as a headlining slot at a major European music festival.
- Managed a successful North American tour for an emerging band, contributing to a 50% growth in their social media following and fan engagement.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams to deliver consistent event experiences, resulting in a 20% increase in positive audience feedback.
- Developed comprehensive tour budgets, consistently maintaining expenditure within 90% of budget projections.
- Assisted in the orchestration of international logistics for a worldwide tour, handling complex itineraries for over 50 band and crew members.
- Played a key role in a tour sustainability initiative that reduced environmental impact through greener travel options and venue partnerships.
- Managed backstage operations, securing VIP experiences for guests and enhancing overall satisfaction.
- Coordinated transportation and accommodation arrangements for 20+ tour dates, ensuring cost-effective solutions and comfort for the touring party.
- Implemented a successful vendor management system, resulting in an improved supply chain for tour merchandise.
- Facilitated daily briefings with the crew, improving team cohesion and operational efficiency during the tour.
- Lead the tour management department, overseeing the successful planning and execution of over 200 international tour dates for multiple artists.
- Created a training program for tour staff that increased team efficiency by developing skills in crisis management and customer service.
- Cultivated partnerships with leading technology providers to enhance the fan experience through immersive tour apps and platforms.
- Orchestrated a multi-continent tour for a Grammy Award-winning artist, facilitating complex logistical operations in over 40 cities.
- Directed the launch of an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour documentary, generating additional revenue streams and fan engagement.
- Negotiated with service providers to upgrade amenities for the touring party, ensuring elite standards of comfort and satisfaction without additional costs.
- Managed the regional leg of a national tour, streamlining processes that resulted in a 15% increase in operational efficiency.
- Led initiative for tailoring tour content to regional audiences, boosting merchandise sales by 20% in specific markets.
- Established a comprehensive risk management protocol that significantly reduced potential tour disruptions.
- Supervised the on-site production for over 80 live concerts, ensuring top-tier audio and visual quality that met artist and fan expectations.
- Introduced innovative stage design concepts that improved audience engagement and were later adopted industry-wide.
- Coordinated with local production crews to ensure seamless load-in and load-out, minimizing venue turnover times.
- Synchronize the efforts of the tour team to ensure the flawless execution of a complex international tour schedule for a chart-topping musical act.
- Pioneered the use of wireless communication tools that cut down on time delays, enhancing performance readiness prior to shows.
- Engaged in critical negotiation with booking agents and promoters to formulate mutually beneficial terms, maintaining strong working relationships and profitability.
The following content includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top responsibilities present on the task lists for tour manager professionals.
Top Responsibilities for Tour Manager:
- Arrange for tour or expedition details such as accommodations, transportation, equipment, and the availability of medical personnel.
- Plan tour itineraries, applying knowledge of travel routes and destination sites.
- Resolve any problems with itineraries, service, or accommodations.
- Attend to special needs of tour participants.
- Sell travel packages.
- Evaluate services received on the tour, and report findings to tour organizers.
- Give advice on sightseeing and shopping.
- Administer first aid to injured group participants.
- Explain hunting and fishing laws to groups to ensure compliance.
- Lead individuals or groups to tour site locations and describe points of interest.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the number of tours successfully managed to demonstrate experience and reliability.
- List the total number of attendees or clients served to show the breadth of work accomplished.
- Mention the percentage of repeat customers to highlight client satisfaction and loyalty.
- Quantify the amount of revenue generated from tours to demonstrate financial impact.
- Specify the number of destinations covered to emphasize the diversity of your experience.
- Detail the size of teams led or coordinated to show leadership and management skills.
- Include the monetary value of budgets managed to illustrate fiscal responsibility.
- State the number of languages spoken as it showcases communication skills and cultural adaptability.
Action verbs for your tour manager resume
Making the most of your little to none professional experience
If you're hesitant to apply for your dream job due to limited professional experience, remember that recruiters also value the unique contributions you can offer.
Next time you doubt applying, consider this step-by-step approach for your resume's experience section:
- Rather than the standard reverse chronological order, opt for a functional-based format. This shifts the focus from your work history to your achievements and strengths;
- Include relevant internships, volunteer work, or other non-standard experiences in your tour manager resume's experience section;
- Utilize your education, qualifications, and certifications to bridge gaps in your tour manager resume experience;
- Emphasize your interpersonal skills and transferable skills from various industries. Often, recruiters seek a personality match, giving you an advantage over other candidates.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
List all your relevant higher education degrees within your resume in reverse chronological order (starting with the latest). There are cases when your PhD in a particular field could help you stand apart from other candidates.
Bringing your tour manager hard skills and soft skills to the forefront of recruiters' attention
Hard skills are used to define the technological (and software) capacities you have in the industry. Technical skills are easily defined via your certification and expertise.
Soft skills have more to do with your at-work personality and how you prosper within new environments. People skills can be obtained thanks to your whole life experience and are thus a bit more difficult to define.
Why do recruiters care about both types of skills?
Hard skills have more to do with job alignment and the time your new potential employers would have to invest in training you.
Soft skills hint at how well you'd adapt to your new environment, company culture, and task organization.
Fine-tune your resume to reflect on your skills capacities and talents:
- Avoid listing basic requirements (e.g. "Excel"), instead substitute with the specifics of the technology (e.g. "Excel Macros").
- Feature your workplace values and ethics as soft skills to hint at what matters most to you in a new environment.
- Build a separate skills section for your language capabilities, only if it makes sense to the role you're applying for.
- The best way to balance tour manager hard and soft skills is by building a strengths or achievements section, where you define your outcomes via both types of skills.
There are plenty of skills that could make the cut on your resume.
That's why we've compiled for you some of the most wanted skills by recruiters, so make sure to include the technologies and soft skills that make the most sense to you (and the company you're applying for):
Top skills for your tour manager resume:
Tour planning software
Logistics management tools
Budgeting and financial software
CRM systems
Social media marketing tools
Travel booking platforms
Audio-visual equipment handling
Communication devices
Project management software
Data analysis tools
Communication
Problem-solving
Organizational skills
Leadership
Adaptability
Customer service
Negotiation
Time management
Interpersonal skills
Cultural awareness
Next, you will find information on the top technologies for tour manager professonals from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Top technologies for Tour Manager’s resume:
- Microsoft Access
- Structured query language SQL
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Excel
PRO TIP
Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.
The importance of your certifications and education on your tour manager resume
Pay attention to the resume education section . It can offer clues about your skills and experiences that align with the job.
- List only tertiary education details, including the institution and dates.
- Mention your expected graduation date if you're currently studying.
- Exclude degrees unrelated to the job or field.
- Describe your education if it allows you to highlight your achievements further.
Your professional qualifications: certificates and education play a crucial role in your tour manager application. They showcase your dedication to gaining the best expertise and know-how in the field. Include any diplomas and certificates that are:
- Listed within the job requirements or could make your application stand out
- Niche to your industry and require plenty of effort to obtain
- Helping you prepare for professional growth with forward-facing know-how
- Relevant to the tour manager job - make sure to include the name of the certificate, institution you've obtained it at, and dates
Both your certificates and education section need to add further value to your application. That's why we've dedicated this next list just for you - check out some of the most popular tour manager certificates to include on your resume:
The top 5 certifications for your tour manager resume:
- Certified Tour Professional (CTP) - National Tour Association (NTA)
- Travel and Tourism Professional (TTP) - International Air Transport Association (IATA)
- Certified Travel Associate (CTA) - The Travel Institute
- Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) - The Travel Institute
- Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) - Tourism Ambassador Institute
The content below includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top associations for tour manager professionals.
Top US associations for a Tour Manager professional
- America Outdoors Association
- American Bus Association
- Cruise Lines International Association
- International Mountain Bicycling Association
- National Tour Association
PRO TIP
Bold the names of educational institutions and certifying bodies for emphasis.
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Best practices to your tour manager resume summary or objective
To start, how do you know if you should include a resume summary or a resume objective ?
- Resume summaries are ideal for tour manager professionals with more experience, who'd like to give a quick glimpse of their biggest career achievements in the top one-third of their resumes.
- On the other hand, resume objectives serve as a road map for recruiters. Candidates use the objective to show how their experience aligns with the tour manager role they're applying for while showcasing the North Star of their career (or where they want to be as a professional in the next couple of years).
The resume summary or resume objective could be the perfect fit for your tour manager resume. The function of both is to highlight your professionalism succinctly. So, keep your writing specific: include no more than four sentences and target your application to the role. Here's how these specific resume sections help the tour manager candidates stand out.
Resume summaries for a tour manager job
- Seasoned tour manager with over 10 years of experience orchestrating international guided tours for renowned travel agencies. Possesses advanced expertise in logistics coordination, cross-cultural communication, and budget management. Recognition includes Top Performer Award for increasing customer satisfaction ratings by 25% within two years.
- With a dynamic 8-year career in event management, adept at overseeing complex itineraries, a skilled problem-solver pivots into Tour Management to leverage exceptional organization and leadership talents. Spearheaded over 50 successful large-scale events, delivering premium experiences under budget.
- Former theatre production manager transitioning into Tour Management, bringing a unique blend of creative scheduling, team coordination, and on-the-spot decision-making from staging over 30 full-scale theatrical productions. Eager to apply stage management skills to create unforgettable travel experiences.
- Passionate about global cultures and customer service, a seasoned hospitality professional with 5 years of experience in 5-star hotel management, aiming to transfer superb guest relations and operational expertise to the tour management industry, with a record of increased guest retention by 30%.
- Aspiring to forge a career in Tour Management, armed with a Bachelor's degree in Tourism and Hospitality and a fervent passion for world travel. Eager to apply learned principles in real-world settings and committed to delivering top-tier customer experiences while mastering industry-specific operations.
- With a fresh diploma in International Tourism and vibrant enthusiasm for exploring new destinations, I am keen to embark on a professional journey as a tour manager. Dedicated to learning swiftly, contributing to memorable tours, and exceeding traveler expectations with creative flair and unwavering energy.
Average salary info by state in the US for tour manager professionals
Local salary info for Tour Manager.” Source: My Next Move, National Center for O*NET Development. Accessed 10/15/2024
| State | Average Salary (in USD) |
|---|---|
| US National Average | $36,060 |
| California (CA) | $39,930 |
| Texas (TX) | $34,450 |
| Florida (FL) | $34,410 |
| New York (NY) | $38,320 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | $33,140 |
| Illinois (IL) | $35,910 |
| Ohio (OH) | $29,500 |
| Georgia (GA) | $31,620 |
| North Carolina (NC) | $33,280 |
| Michigan (MI) | $32,590 |
Extra sections to include in your tour manager resume
What should you do if you happen to have some space left on your resume, and want to highlight other aspects of your profile that you deem are relevant to the role? Add to your tour manager resume some of these personal and professional sections:
- Passions/Interests - to detail how you spend both your personal and professional time, invested in various hobbies;
- Awards - to present those niche accolades that make your experience unique;
- Publications - an excellent choice for professionals, who have just graduated from university or are used to a more academic setting;
- Volunteering - your footprint within your local (or national/international) community.
Key takeaways
Writing your tour manager resume can be a structured and simple experience, once you better understand the organization's requirements for the role you're applying to. To sum up, we'd like to remind you to:
- Always select which experiences, skills, and achievements to feature on your resume based on relevancy to the role;
- In your resume summary, ensure you've cherry-picked your top achievements and matched them with the job ad's skills;
- Submit your tour manager resume as a one or two-page long document at the most, in a PDF format;
- Select industry leading certifications and list your higher education to highlight you have the basis for technical know-how;
- Quantify your people's skills through various resume sections (e.g. Strengths, Hobbies and interests, etc.) to show recruiters how your profile aligns with the organizational culture.
Tour Manager resume examples
By Role
Tour Director
Just as like the software industry has its own aspects, tour directing is heavily influenced by the trends from the tourism and hospitality industry.
For securing a successful application for the tour director job, consider the following tips:
- Ensure your resume highlights your experience in travel logistics coordination. Whether it's scheduling, transportation, or managing unforeseen circumstances, this experience is at the heart of tour directing.
- Display your proficiency in itinerary planning and flexibility. This needs to feature prominently, as tour directors deal with both prepared schedules and unexpected changes.
- Do not forget to emphasize your interpersonal skills. Tour directing relies heavily on interaction with diverse groups, making client service skills invaluable.
- Remember, instead of merely listing skills, showcase how these abilities improved tour experiences, whether it be increasing client satisfaction or adapting interesting itineraries. Follow the 'skill-action-results' mantra here as well.
