“Tourism is more than just hotels and travel agencies. One of the main reasons why people travel are the destinations themselves, of course. But who is responsible for marketing the destination? Who takes care of its reputation? Who makes sure others hear of them?

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!”