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CERTIFIED TRAVEL ASSOCIATE

Certified Travel Associate Logo

INDUSTRY LEADING CERTIFICATION, FOR OVER 20 YEARS

Welcome to the CTA® Program

10th EDITION

The newly revised, self-paced Certified Travel Associate program covers 15 critical areas of study designed to focus on skills needed to succeed as a travel consultant in North America today!

Enroll Today
Free CTA Webinar
CTA Requirements

Journey to Success

Your Learning Experience

The immersive learning experience is thought-provoking, focuses on today’s real-life scenarios and provides practical knowledge to help you build even greater experiences for your clients.

Peer Support

An online, invitation-only support group to keep you on track

Coaching

Coaching via live study and testing preparation tips

Practice Scenarios

Real-world application exercises and knowledge checks

Expert Tips

Video insights from industry executives

"The CTA course is the gold standard for anyone selling the travel experience whether new to the business or a 10-year veteran. I love the course as much now as I did when I first completed it. The updates are so relevant in today’s world and the work put in by The Travel Institute to keep this course so fresh and relevant is wildly impressive."
Evan McElligott, CTA President, Longer Vacations

CTA® Curriculum

Professional Skills Modules

Business Ethics

  • The Travel Professional

  • Professionalism and Ethics

  • Tools for Professionalism

Business Writing Skills

  • Business Writing Principles

  • Office Communications

  • Management Communications

  • Marketing Communications

Customer Service

  • Why Is Service Important?

  • Who Are Your Customers?

  • What Do Your Customers Want?

  • Implementing A Customer Service Focus

  • Dealing with Customer Problems and Problem Customers

Customer-Focused Selling

  • Introduction to Travel Sales

  • Understanding the Sales Cycle

  • The Non-Face-to-Face Sales Cycle

The Art of Listening and Communicating

  • The Nature of Interpersonal Communication

  • Verbal Communication

  • Non-Verbal Communication

  • Listening

Marketing and Promoting Your Business

  • What is Marketing?

  • Targeting Your Audience

  • The Power of Branding and Promoting Your Brand

  • The Internet and You

  • Marketing for Success

Time Management

  • Balancing Your Work, Family, and Personal Time

  • Setting a Time Management Goal

  • Planning for Effective Results

  • Turning Time Wasters into Time Savers

Understanding Customer Needs

  • Why Do People Travel and What Do They Need?

  • Understanding Buyer Behavior

  • Understanding Buyer Psychology to Sell Travel

Practical Skills Modules

Accepting and Processing Payments

  • Understanding the Payment Processing Universe

  • Accepting Payment When Client Is Not Present

  • Accepting Payment When Client Is Present

Planning Itineraries

  • Guidelines for Planning Successful Itineraries

  • Planning Itineraries in the Americas

  • Planning Itineraries in Europe

  • Planning Itineraries in the Middle East, Africa, the Far East, and the Pacific Rim

Selling All-Inclusive Resorts

  • What Are All-Inclusives and What Makes Them Appealing to Travelers?

  • Why Sell All-Inclusives?

  • Who Are All-Inclusive Customers and How Do You Find Them?

  • How Do You Sell All-Inclusives?

Selling Escorted Vacations

  • How "Escorted Vacations” differ from other types of tours
  • Identify why escorted vacation are appealing to travelers
  • Understand profit potential
  • How to tailor each step to sell the escorted vacation products
  •  

Selling Special Interest Travel

  • Why Sell Special Interest Travel?

  • Getting Started

  • Creating a Marketing Plan

  • Promoting Special Interest Travel

Touring the World

  • Discover Your World

  • Highlights of the Western Hemisphere

  • Highlights of Europe

  • Highlights of the Middle East and Africa

  • Highlights of Asia and the Pacific Rim

Travel Insurance

  • What Are Travel Protection and Travel Insurance?

  •  Who Needs Travel Insurance?

  • Why Should Travel Agents Offer Travel Insurance?

  • How to Offer Travel Insurance

"Certification was a great experience because I got to refresh my knowledge of all things travel from geography, to insurance, to customer service."
Vanessa Arrevillaga, CTA Agent

CTA®

Your Study Options

Flexibility is key! The entire program is online, self paced and self study. You determine the schedule and how much time you spend on a particular topic. You have 12 months to complete your studies and take the final exam from the date of enrollment.

Online

The entire program is online, self-paced and self-study. You determine the schedule and how much time you spend on a particular topic.

Enroll

Print

Along with online access, a print version of this course can complement learning and accommodate preferred learning styles.

Enroll

CTA®

Certification Requirements

Candidates must fulfill the following requirements to enroll:

    • A minimum of 1 year of industry experience selling travel, or
    • Pass the Travel Agent Proficiency (TAP®) exam with a score of 80% or higher

Candidates must fulfill the following requirements to earn their CTA Certification:

    • Pass the proctored CTA® exam with a grade of 70% or higher
    • Earn a minimum of ten (10) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) annually to maintain Certification and participate in the public Certified Travel Agent Directory.
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