From Hospitality to Destination Content Specialist

I am the Destination Content Specialist for Northland Inc, the regional tourism organisation for Northland. We’re a reasonably small team, so my responsibilities are pretty varied; but primarily I’m responsible for our written and visual content, so our visitor guide and map, our social media, the content on the 'Visit' section of our website etc. Basically, just sharing all the great things to see and do in Northland with our visitors.

I’m really lucky. My friends say that my job feels like somebody else’s holiday. It’s kind of fun!

I think it’s really cool that it’s a tight-knit community, the opportunities that it brings, and I love being able to share experiences with people – that’s a huge passion for me.

When I was in school I worked in hospitality, then I headed overseas and worked on luxury yachts, and when I came back to New Zealand I applied for a luxury lodge in Northland. The skills I learned overseas were very transferable for my role at the lodge and helped me move up the ladder quite quickly, so I was soon in management roles. About three years ago I wanted a bit of a change and applied for a role with Northland Inc – and now here I am!

My workdays are really varied. Some days it’s all admin-related, so lots of meetings and things like that. Other days I might chuck my headphones on and get creative and get writing, planning campaigns and coming up with fun taglines. I might be out visiting operators or trying out new products and experiencing all the visitor experiences. And sometimes I will be a part of the bigger picture, like planning our destination management plan.

I hosted a journalist who was here on a media visit and was writing about food and beverage in Whangarei. I was really lucky; for two days I hosted her and we jumped in the car and drove around the city, eating and drinking at all these cafes, restaurants and bars… Honestly, I’m a foodie so it was like a dream of mine come true!

Tourism needs loads of different roles: accountants, management, IT... all sorts of weird and wonderful roles too like zookeepers and environmentalists - there’s a space for everybody. And if you’re really passionate and driven I feel like you can carve out a niche and become really successful. So definitely think outside of the box when it comes to working in the Tourism industry!

I learnt a lot as I worked my way up in Hospitality - your typical customer service skills and cash handling. I worked in a hotel and learned a lot about budgeting and the admin side of the role. Then when I was on yachts I broadened my skills a lot more. I found these were all transferable skills when I came back to New Zealand and helped set up the new luxury lodge. These skills were crucial for getting me into a management role. Also, when I came back to New Zealand I studied a Bachelor of Business by distance through Massey, and I found that a lot of what I was learning was really applicable to what I was doing in the Tourism industry. No matter what your background is, whether you studied it or came from another industry, there’s a place for you in Tourism.