Becoming a TICO Certified Travel Counsellor or Supervisor/Manager in Ontario
Thinking about a career as a travel professional? There is significant demand and opportunity for travel professionals across the industry, with travel agencies, online booking websites, and tour operators. You can also become a home-based travel advisor, or open your own business.
All individuals wishing to sell travel services in Ontario must meet TICO’s Education Standards and obtain the required Travel Counsellor Certification. It’s the law.
Want to learn more about the benefits of working as a TICO Certified travel professional? Click here to view our video series.
About TICO
TICO is Ontario’s travel regulator, overseeing travel agencies and tour operators, and providing protection for travel consumers.
Every person who works for a registered Ontario travel agency or booking website, and sells travel services or provides travel advice to the public must, by law, meet TICO’s Education Standards. This includes the Supervisors and Managers on record with TICO.
The program consists of two levels of exams, which are taken individually:
- Travel Counsellor
- Supervisor/Manager
Preparing for and taking an exam can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 3 steps to help you prepare for the TICO certification exam:
Step 1: Register online at https://tico.opilink.com
There is no fee to register online and set-up an account, only to attempt the online exams. Once you are registered with an account, you’re ready to begin studying by accessing the study manual.
STEP 2: Access the study manual
The course consists of an online study manual, quiz questions after each chapter and a sample exam. We encourage you to read the study manual thoroughly and test your knowledge with the practice quizzes and exam.
The study manual contains all the information you will need to know to pass the exams.
The study manual content is based on the information found in the legislation and regulations that all travel agents must follow.
STEP 3: Purchase an exam attempt
Purchase an exam attempt when you are confident your studying has adequately prepared you for success.
There are no restrictions on the number of attempts you can make, only the timing of exam attempts. Simply log into your account and select and purchase the exam(s) you wish to take. Each exam attempt must be purchased.
Students write the certification exams online from the comfort of their own home or office and are proctored via webcam. Students have six months to complete the exam(s) from the date of purchase.
Special Needs Accommodation
TICO has a policy to accommodate individuals with special needs. If you have a special need that requires an accommodation when writing the TICO Education Standards exam, you must submit the Special Needs Accommodation Form with as much advance notice as possible. The Special Needs Accommodation Form can be found here.
About the Online Exams
Number of questions on the exams:
- Travel Counsellor Exam: 50 questions
- Supervisor/Manager Exam: 30 questions
Study Manual
Please see below for the structure of the study manual.
Travel Counsellor
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Education Standards Program
Chapter 2: Ontario’s Travel Industry Act, 2002
Chapter 3: TICO’s Role in the Travel Industry
Chapter 4: Registrant Obligations – Before the Sale
Chapter 5: Registrant Obligations – After the Sale and Before Customer Travels
Chapter 6: Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund
Supervisor/Manager
Chapter 7: Registration Requirements
Chapter 8: Financial and Record-Keeping Requirements
Chapter 9: Complaints
Chapter 10: Investigations and Offences
Time limit for writing the exams
- Travel Counsellor Exam: 90 minutes
- Supervisor/Manager Exam: 60 minutes
Exam fees
- Travel Counsellor Exam: $35
- Supervisor/Manager Exam: $35
- Travel Counsellor Exam and Supervisor/Manager exams bought together $50
- Fee to re-write: $24
- Note: Exam fees include the cost of Oliver’s online proctoring system.
Exam results
All results are reported as either Pass or Fail by email within three business days of writing the exam. Exceptions may arise if the candidate’s recorded exam session contains irregularities requiring compliance review.
Getting started in the industry
Successfully passing the TICO Education Standards exam allows you to sell travel services or provide travel advice to the public on behalf of a TICO registered Ontario travel agency.
There are many employment opportunities within the travel industry at travel agencies, booking websites, tour operators and more. To find a TICO-registered company, search our online directory.
If you are interested in opening your own business, you must register the business with TICO. Click here for more information.
Ontario’s travel industry is subject to the Ontario Travel Industry Act, 2002 and Ontario Regulation 26/05. Under this legislation, all travel retailers (travel agencies and/or websites) and travel wholesalers (tour operators) operating in Ontario must be registered with TICO, Ontario’s travel regulator.
For more information:
Contact Oliver’s at (416) 922-9604 / 1-800-238-0377 or email: support@oliverslearning.com
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Book with a TICO Registered Travel Agency
To verify if a travel agency or website is TICO registered, check our online directory.
Take the TICO Traveller Quiz to see what type of traveller you are.
Sign up to receive quarterly travel consumer protection email updates.
For more travel tips and information, visit the Smart Traveller Guide.
All travel agencies and websites located and operating in Ontario are regulated by TICO. Registered travel agencies and websites provide additional consumer protection for your travel investment that may not be available when booking with travel agencies and websites based in other countries or provinces. For more information about how TICO helps, click here.
Any questions can be directed to tico@tico.ca or 1-888-451-TICO (8426).
