Richard Zuberecz629834a6-ad0d-4465-b9d7-d2f0581eed94-original.jpeg

You may be surprised to know that there are organisations known as Destination Marketing/Management Organisations (DMOs) who are responsible for promoting destinations (of course, with the help of everyone that inadvertently is part of a tourist’s experience of a destination). I did my dissertation on one of the things these organisations usually take care of - a place’s good name or ‘brand’. My case study was focused on a city from my home country, Romania, and after finishing university I was pleasantly surprised to be offered an internship and then a full-time job with Heraldist & Wondermarks, the organisation that created the brand I studied.
Right now I’m a project manager for a community initiative to build Transylvania’s brand - a region in Romania - at the Transylvania Beyond Association. I have to get to know a lot of people that are in the industry, talk with local councils and engage with the Ministry of Tourism and other experts in the field. I am even helping with the second edition of a new conference that aims to be a flagship event for business in the region. I have also recently attended Romania’s Tourism Trade Convention to network with different associations that promote tourism in the country and academics from the field, which was a great opportunity and experience.
I loved my time at the University of Chester and felt blessed studying International Tourism Management there. My advice for anyone who is thinking about doing a course in tourism: it’s a hugely diverse field so you are very likely to find something to enjoy. I learned more than just the tourism aspect - I got acquainted with economics, sociology, marketing and even strategic management. Now, what I’m doing is somewhat referred to as ‘public diplomacy’.
I could never have imagined all of this when I decided I would like to work on a cruise ship, which is what got me into tourism in the first place!”