The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceived competencies and curricular preparation and their importance needed for a travel agency manager from viewpoint of practitioners and collegiate educators. The study also determined if there were differences in regard to the social demographic characteristics. The results showed that both teachers and managers indeed had different perception on the importance of the competencies or curricular preparation among many items. However, there still had some items were listed in the top ten of both. These competency items were dealing with tour accidents, communicating with clients, speaking skills communicating with subordinates, and language ability. These curricular items were emergency handling, communication skills, tour leader/guide practice, tourism English, and tourist’s behavior. Basically, the subjects were consistent in evaluating both competency and curricular items in regard to the order of the importance but generally speaking, the mean value of the most of the competency items is higher than that of curricular items. The mean value of most competency items is between important and very important while it’s between ordinary and important of most curricular items. According to the factor analysis, there are six competency factors that are listed as follows by means order: communications and professional sills, quality and emergency handling, marketing, leadership, organizing and planning, control, finance and product development, and outside interaction and information collection. The four curricular factors listed by means order were communications and professional skills, language, information technology and arts, business, and general tourism courses. Some competency or curricular items exist significant difference among some social demographical variables of the subjects. The findings might be helpful to the educators in structuring new tourism programs and revising existing ones reflecting the needs of travel agency managers. It might be used in establishing standards for certification, enhancing global understanding and helping students and practitioners make a better plan in learning and study.

本研究是由旅行社主管及觀光科系教師的認知，探討旅行社主管所需之能力與職前準備課程，並檢驗人口社會變項是否影響其認知。結果示兩者意見紛歧，在許多項目存在顯著差異，而同時獲得二者最重視的前10項中的能力是：旅行事故處理、和客戶溝通、說話技巧、和部屬溝通、語言能力；課程是：緊急事件處理，人際關係與溝通技巧，領隊與導遊實務，觀光英語，旅客心理與行為。基本上，受訪者對能力與課程項目之間的重要性順序認知相當一致，但能力項目的平均值一般高於課程項目。大部份能力項目受重視的程度介於重要與非常重要之間，而課程項目則介於普通與重要之間。經因素分析，歸納六大項能力要素依序為溝通與專業技能、品質與危機管理、行銷管理、領導、組織與規劃、控制、財務與產品開發及外界互動與資料蒐集。歸納四大項課程要素依序為溝通與專業技能、語言，資訊技術及藝文、商業基礎、及一般觀光。受訪者的部份社會經濟背景變項與能力或課程項目的重要性評價確實存在顯著性差異。本研究成果將提供觀光相關科系在規劃、修訂課程，或有關單位在制定旅行業主管人員訓練課程，及學生及從業人員進修、自學及前程規劃時之參考。