Travel Trade Manager

Bristol City Council; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Local Government Pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Flexitime

Job summary

Bristol Museums, part of Bristol City Council, seeks a Travel Trade Manager to lead the travel trade and group sales function, creating commercial opportunities and products that expand visitor numbers and revenue. You will build strong partnerships with tour operators, agents, OTAs, and DMCs, while developing engaging group itineraries and experiences across domestic and international markets.

The role focuses on driving commercial performance, optimizing end-to-end journeys for travel trade

Qualifications

• Experience building travel trade and group sales strategies.
• Strong relationship management with tour operators, agents, OTAs, and DMCs.
• Ability to develop compelling group products and itineraries.
• Data-driven approach to monitor revenue, leads, and conversions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the travel trade and group sales function to increase visitors and revenue.
• Develop and deliver a comprehensive travel trade strategy aligned to commercial goals.
• Represent Bristol Museums at trade shows and industry events to generate leads.

Skills

Travel trade strategy

Account management

Partnership development

Product development

Sales and promotions

Lead generation

Job description

Full Time, Permanent

We are looking to recruit to a Travel Trade Manager vacancy.

You will lead the establishment, development and delivery of Bristol Museums' travel trade and group sales function, creating new commercial opportunities, partnerships, products and operating approaches that increase visitor numbers, revenue generation and market reach.

The role will position Bristol Museums as a must-visit cultural destination within the tourism distribution network, designing and promoting compelling group products and experiences, strengthening commercial performance, and ensuring seamless end-to-end journeys for travel trade partners and their customers.

Travel Trade Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Develop and implement a comprehensive travel trade and group sales strategy aligned to organisational commercial and audience development objectives.
• Deliver agreed income and visitor number targets from group and travel trade channels, maximising yield and return on investment.
• Identify and grow new business opportunities across domestic and international markets, including off-peak and shoulder season demand.

Partnership Development and Account Management

• Build, manage, and maintain strong relationships with key travel trade partners including tour operators, travel agents, online travel agencies (OTAs), destination management companies (DMCs), and group organisers.
• Act as the primary point of contact for travel trade partners, providing high-quality account management to drive repeat and increased business ensuring competitive positioning within the market.

Product Development and Commercial Offer

• Work with the museum teams to develop and continuously enhance group-friendly products, itineraries, and packages that align with the needs of travel trade buyers and target audiences, ensure products are engaging, operationally viable, and commercially attractive.
• Introduce added-value opportunities (e.g. tours, catering, exclusive access) to increase per-capita spend.

Sales and Promotion

• Represent Bristol Museums at key industry trade shows, workshops, and networking events (UK and overseas) to promote the offer and generate leads.
• Plan targeted trade campaigns in collaboration with marketing colleagues and external partners.

Lead Generation and Conversion

• Proactively identify, pursue, and convert sales leads into confirmed bookings, managing the full sales pipeline.
• Respond to group enquiries, build tailored itineraries, and maximise opportunities through upselling and cross-selling across sites.
• Host familiarisation (FAM) visits and training sessions to educate partners and increase conversion.

Internal Collaboration and Operational Delivery

• Work cross-departmentally with ticketing, visitor experience, operations, and finance teams to ensure efficient booking processes and excellent group experiences.
• Ensure systems, pricing structures, and operational practices are optimised for travel trade requirements.
• Act as a key advocate and internal expert for travel trade within the organisation.
• Identify and drive improvements to booking processes, pricing approaches, commercial procedures and cross-service working practices to support travel trade growth and improve customer and partner experience.

Performance Monitoring and Insight

• Monitor, analyse, and report on travel trade performance, including revenue, visitor numbers, and market trends.
• Use data and insight to refine strategy, improve performance, and inform decision-making.
• Maintain accurate records of partner activity and pipeline within CRM or ticketing systems.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Develop relationships with key tourism bodies such as VisitBritain, VisitWest, UKinbound, and ETOA to maximise promotional and commercial opportunities.
• Contribute to wider destination marketing initiatives to position Bristol as a leading cultural destination.
• Ensure a consistently high-quality experience for all group visitors from enquiry through to post-visit feedback.
• Champion best practice in group travel and accessibility within the museum environment.

Bristol City Council are not offering sponsorship for this role.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you'll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you'll be working in a supportive environment where you'll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you'll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.