Travel Specialist (HOD) at Green Marble Recruitment

• We are looking for an experienced, commercially minded Travel Specialist to develop and grow a specialist golf and sports travel business.
• The role will focus on inbound and outbound golf and sports travel/tours, creating and selling experiences for individuals, groups, corporates, and international travellers.
• The successful candidate will have strong travel industry experience, an established supplier network, excellent customer service skills, and the ability to build compelling, profitable travel packages.
• This is an opportunity for someone who wants to take ownership of a golf and cycling travel operation and, over time, build and lead a team of sport travel experts.

Requirements:

• Relevant degree or diploma.
• Travel, tour operating or travel agency experience
• Sport travel will be a strong advantage (Golf).
• Must have an established network of travel and tourism suppliers.
• Good understanding of travel margins.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
 
Golf & Cycling Sports Travel:

• Develop and manage local golf tours in South Africa.
• Develop and manage outbound golf tours to leading international golf destinations.
• Create bespoke itineraries for individual travellers, groups, and corporate clients.
• Develop travel packages around major golf and sporting events.
• Identify new destinations, experiences and products that can be added to the portfolio.
• Understand the requirements of golfers and cyclists and ensure itineraries are designed specifically around the experience.

Supplier Network & Contracting:

• Build and continually develop a strong network of travel and tourism suppliers.
• Build relationships with golf courses, resorts, hotels, airlines, DMCs, transport companies, tour operators, and other tourism suppliers.
• Negotiate competitive rates, allocations, commissions, and value-added benefits.
• Maintain strong relationships with key suppliers in South Africa and internationally.
• Continually source new products and suppliers that improve the competitiveness of our offering.

Quotations & Customer Service:

• Receive and manage travel enquiries from initial contact through to completion of the trip.
• Prepare accurate, professional, and competitive quotations.
• Build detailed itineraries covering golf, accommodation, flights, transfers, activities, and other travel requirements.
• Follow up quotations proactively and convert enquiries into confirmed bookings.
• Manage amendments, cancellations, and special requests.
• Provide a high level of service before, during and after each trip.
• Take responsibility for ensuring every element of the customer's journey is properly coordinated.

Product & Package Development:

• Create attractive golf holiday packages, golf tours, and sports travel packages.
• Package accommodation, golf, transport, flights, and experiences into easy-to-sell products.
• Develop both premium bespoke travel and competitively priced packaged products.
• Build seasonal and event-based packages.
• Work with suppliers to create exclusive offers and differentiated products.
• Ensure packages are commercially viable and achieve appropriate margins.

 Sales & Business Development:

• Grow the customer base for golf, cycling and sports travel.
• Develop relationships with golf clubs, golf societies, corporates, tour groups and international travel partners.
• Identify opportunities to cross-sell travel products to existing golf customers.
• Develop repeat and referral business.
• Take ownership of sales targets, margins and overall performance of the travel division.

Digital Marketing:

• Digital marketing experience will be a strong advantage.

The successful candidate should ideally be able to work with the marketing team to:

• Develop golf and cycling travel campaigns and promotions.
• Create packages suitable for websites, email, social media and digital advertising.
• Produce compelling travel content and destination offers.
• Use customer databases and digital channels to generate enquiries.
• Understand lead generation and the conversion of digital enquiries into bookings.

Team Development & Leadership:

• A key part of the role will be to build a specialist travel team as the business grows.
• Recruit and develop golf travel consultants and specialists.
• Establish service, quotation and sales standards.
• Train team members on destinations, golf courses, products, and systems.
• Create efficient processes for enquiries, quotations, bookings, and customer servicing.
• Develop a culture of strong product knowledge, responsiveness, and exceptional customer service.
• Ultimately take responsibility for the performance and growth of the golf and sports travel team.

Experience & Skills:

• Proven experience in the travel, tour operating, or travel agency industry.
• Experience in leisure, luxury, group or sports travel.
• Strong experience preparing travel quotations and detailed itineraries.
• An established network of travel and tourism suppliers.
• Good understanding of supplier contracting, commissions and travel margins.
• Strong sales and customer service skills.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple quotations and bookings simultaneously.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills.
• Experience with travel reservation, itinerary or CRM systems.
• Digital marketing experience would be an advantage.
• Previous experience building or managing a travel team would be an advantage.

Golf Knowledge:

• Playing golf is a distinct advantage.
• The ideal candidate will understand golf and the expectations of travelling golfers, including golf courses, tee times, golf resorts, group golf travel and the practical requirements involved in transporting golfers and their equipment.
• A genuine interest in golf, sport and travel is important.

Personal Attributes:

• Entrepreneurial and commercially driven.
• Passionate about travel and customer experiences.
• Highly organised and detail orientated.
• A strong relationship builder.
• Sales-focused and comfortable working to targets.
• Proactive rather than purely administrative.
• Able to solve problems quickly when customers are travelling.
• Excited by the opportunity to build a business and a team, rather than simply manage bookings.

Key Measures of Success:

• Growth in golf and sports travel revenue.
• Gross profit and margin achieved on bookings.
• Quote-to-booking conversion rate.
• Growth in inbound and outbound golf tour customers.
• Repeat and referral business.
• Development of exclusive and differentiated travel packages.
• Customer satisfaction and service levels.
• Growth and quality of the supplier network.
• Successful development of a high-performing golf and cycling travel specialist team.