I currently work simultaneously on a major visitor segmentation study for the North West Development

In September 2004, after 5 years of living and working in South East Asia as dive instructor, instructor trainer and dive operation homes for sale in los angeles manager, I finally went back to the study books again. Each year I had put the decision off for another year, deciding to enjoy the beauty of the underwater world and the beach life style for just a little bit longer. Around my 25th birthday, I finally decided to go for it. Life had been a beach, but I wanted more in the long run. A friend told me about the BBA programme homes for sale in los angeles in International Tourism Management and Consultancy at the NHTV. As you can image, I was particularly intrigued by the fieldwork opportunities in Asia; a great chance to revisit a part of the world I still regret leaving. homes for sale in los angeles However, life goes on and how!
I felt a little apprehensive about  studying again after such a long break. However, my worries were completely unwarrented. Because ITMC actively encourages students homes for sale in los angeles to draw on cross-cultural and practical experience (gained through professional experience in the tourism industry and/or personal travel), I found it very easy to place my practical knowledge within the theoretical framework offered on the course.
Initially, I enrolled on the ITMC programme to gain more tourism management homes for sale in los angeles knowledge, which I did benefit from in my part-time position as travel homes for sale in los angeles manager at a start-up dive travel company in Rotterdam. However, within the first year , or probably even first semester, I quickly got inspired to pursue a career in tourism destination consultancy – a goal I have now proudly achieved, eventhough homes for sale in los angeles I am still only at the beginning.
On my first day in the office, the Director of Operations at Locum Consulting introduced me to my new colleagues as “the recruit with the closest matching profile to what Locum does we have ever found”. This is, in no small part, thanks to ITMC’s unique programme structure and consultancy-oriented approach to destination planning, homes for sale in los angeles development and management.
I massively enjoyed the destination analysis on Koh Phangan (Thailand) and working intensively with a team of like-minded fellow students. homes for sale in los angeles If only nowadays I could go back to a refreshing dip in the ocean after a site visit or stakeholder interview or type up my report while swinging in a hammock with a drink !
For my 25-week internship, homes for sale in los angeles I strategically sought out a tourism consultancy firm in Munich where I was offered a chance to learn first hand about high-level destination planning. As junior consultant, I was involved in the market analysis and concept development phases of a €1 mn tourism masterplan for the Syrian homes for sale in los angeles Arab Republic. The highlights were meeting the Syrian Minister of Tourism and learning more about tourism in the Arab world as well as the political factors influencing consultancy work. In my final year, I opted to write my thesis for a well-recognised tourism consultancy firm in the UK, with the view to enrol in postgraduate studies there and, possibly, ultimately work in the UK (as my partner is British). The challenging thesis homes for sale in los angeles assignment, which entailed the analysis of tourism funding trends among four of the world’s most important multi-lateral and bi-lateral donors, further homes for sale in los angeles confirmed my ambitions.
homes for sale in los angeles In July 2007, I graduated Cum Laude and was the first NHTV student ever to secure a Huygens Scholarship for postgraduate study abroad, awarded to exceptional students by the Dutch Ministry of Education and Culture. The scholarship financially enabled me to obtain an MSc in Tourism Development from the internationally renowned University of Surrey. The course strengthened my analytical skills and theoretical understanding of tourism planning and development. I learned to question and critique tourism theory and practice even more and graduated with Distinction. For my dissertation, which examined the role of the consultant in tourism development, I expanded my network by interviewing nearly 50 tourism consultants all over the country – a great way to visit many destinations in only 6 weeks! The results were great on many fronts. My dissertation was awarded with 89% (the highest score ever). I was invited by the Tourism Society homes for sale in los angeles Consultants Network to present homes for sale in los angeles my research findings homes for sale in los angeles at a conference venue in London. VisitBritain’s online service, Tourism Insights, invited me to write an article. And, last but not least, homes for sale in los angeles I secured a generous scholarship from the School of Management at the University of Surrey for a PhD in Tourism Management, to further my research by looking at consultants as brokers of tourism homes for sale in los angeles knowledge. This offer was hard to resist and, with the recession just kicking in, my long-desired job in tourism consultancy was not easy to find either at that time.
The teaching experience gained in my final ITMC year assisting Pieter Piket with Financial Accounting and Sebastiaan Straatman with Marketing homes for sale in los angeles Management had awakened my curiosity to do some more lecturing in tourism. So doing a PhD did not seem such a bad idea at all. By the end of the first year however, I noticed, that despite good progress, I just wasn’t happy with it, particularly perhaps, because I was investigating the work I so desperately wanted to do more of myself! I was lucky enough to be asked (by the company in London I did my ITMC thesis research for) to work as an associate consultant on a market research study for East Africa financed by the World Bank. This only confirmed my feelings. As a New Year’s resolution, I finally decided to put my studies on hold, find work as a tourism consultant and re-evaluate picking up my PhD studies on a part-time basis perhaps after a year or two.
Locum Consulting, one of the companies I interviewed homes for sale in los angeles for my MSc dissertation research, happened to just have an opening coming up for an analyst after my speculative application – call it coincidence or faith! Locum is Europe’s first and leading specialist destination consultancy, providing cutting-edge strategic, operational and financial advice to the destination sector in the UK and abroad. Working with investors, managers and developers, the range of destinations Locum covers includes regions, cities, mixed-use developments, cultural attractions, leisure retail parks, resorts and sport event venues.
homes for sale in los angeles My duties are to deliver high quality research  and strategic advice within consulting homes for sale in los angeles projects from inception through to completion and at all stages of the destination life cycle. As an analyst, I support project managers in identifying suitable projects, preparing proposals and sales pitches and, if succesful, subsequently co-ordinating the management and delivery of client assignments. The work typically involves market analysis, wide consultation with stakeholders, assessing the current visitor homes for sale in los angeles infrastructure and organisation and making strategic recommendations through concise report writing and workshops. Essentially, we help clients to clarify what they want to do, where and if they can do it, how best to do it and how to manage it profitably. homes for sale in los angeles All in all, very much in line with the skills and knowledge nurtured by NHTV’s ITMC programme!
I currently work simultaneously on a major visitor segmentation study for the North West Development Agency; market analysis, concept development and business plan for a visitor centre at an Energy-from-Waste plant in Wales; concept development and operational structures assessment for a stadium-led homes for sale in los angeles urban regeneration project in London; a business plan for a national museum in Greenwich; a proposal for the England tourism marketing homes for sale in los angeles strategy; a design strategy for a large mixed-use waterfront development in Liverpool; and destination advice for a cable car crossing over the Thames. I love the variety of assignments, destinations and clients I get exposed to and feel blessed to learn from and work alongside great role models. A large part of my work is desk-based, but I also join more senior team members on pitches, site visits, client meetings, homes for sale in los angeles consultations and presentations. Similar to most management consultancy positions, the job is rewarding, challenging and fun, but occasionnally also calls for fairly long hours and some travel (but that is the fun part!).
Looking back at my journey since graduating from ITMC, I strongly feel that it was the right study choice. Best of luck to all current and future ITMC-ers. Don’t hestitate to get in touch for a chat over coffee if you ever come to London!
I enjoyed reading this article! Different stages of your route to professional consultancy homes for sale in los angeles in a coherent setting .For me a very precious milestone - document worth keeping at a special place in my personal library!