Cristiana Imperiali, 27
Country: Italy
Bachelor's degree: Applied Languages for Management and Tourism

- Why did you decide to apply for the EMTM program?

After studying for my Bachelor in my home country I really wanted to go abroad for my Master's. I found out about EMTM randomly while looking up on the internet for some international tourism programmes and I immediately understood that it was the kind of experience I wanted to live... Like, I had no doubts it was the right one! The programme offer looked very interesting, plus studying with people coming from all over the world was what I wanted. I wanted to deepen my knowledge about tourism and doing it in 3 different countries just made sense to me.

- What is your best EMTM memory?

It's really hard to say to be honest, because there were so many great moments during those 2 years... However, I remember this day when we were taking a field trip in Piran (Slovenia) and 4 classmates and I decided to stay there longer to tour that part of Slovenia a bit more. We climbed up to a castle and we found that there was a balcony overlooking the town and the sea.... We played some music and danced while admiring the sunset. I love sunsets, I love that part of the day and in that right moment I thought to myself "Wow, how lucky I am to be here and live this experience with people that last year I didn't even know, to be in front of this wonderful sunset and have so many great moments still ahead of me". I can tell you, in that moment I truly felt that I was in the right place at the right moment, everything felt just right.

- What was your next step after EMTM?

The year of my cohort's graduation was a bit difficult, as it was 2020 and everyone knows what happened with the pandemic. The tourism sector was hit strongly and it was very hard to find a job in that sector. I was in Girona writing my thesis and my desire was to stay there and find a job. However, because of Covid it was super hard to stay and find something. So, I just decided to go home, look for a job there and maybe one day come back. At first, I had to adapt to a job I didn't really like but I didn't want to give up my dream of working in tourism and, luckily, with resilience I found an opportunity to work in marketing for the Austrian Tourism Office in Milan. After that, another great opportunity came up and I got the chance to start working for the Catalan Tourist Board in Milan, where I am currently employed. I truly encourage each of you to never give up on your dreams... One way or the other you will find the way to make them come true if you think positively, work hard and express your passions.

- How did the EMTM program help you in your professional career?

EMTM helped me in many ways: I knew I wanted to work in tourism but I was unaware of the world of tourism marketing and during my path I understood that it was probably the right job for me. Or at least I wanted to try it and find out if it really was what would make me express my passion for the travel and tourism world. And as of now I can say it definitely is.

EMTM also helped me find out very interesting aspects of tourism that I didn't really know about, such as sustainability. But some of the most important lessons I learned from EMTM are not purely academic or professional: this incredible experience made me understand a lot more about myself, my passions, my strengths and my limits. It was not only a journey around Europe, but also a journey of self-discovery and I think that this contributed to finding the balance that I am living now. 

- What is your current job? What are your main tasks?

I am Marketing Executive at the Catalan Tourist Board for Italy and Israel. The Catalan Tourist Board is the official body of the Government of Catalonia responsible for implementing the government's tourism promotion policies and it has a presence in more than 30 countries.

My job is very various and, since we have a small office here in Milan, I am responsible for different tasks, which include B2B marketing, participation in fairs, events, workshops; relation with the press, organization of press trips and presentations; digital marketing management (social media, digital advertising campaigns...); market studies; administrative tasks and more. We also manage the Israeli market from here and travel there a couple times per year.

What is really beautiful is promoting a country I lived in and I love. Working in tourism marketing gives you the possibility to show your creativity, to bring new ideas, to contribute to the progress of tourism, meet many people and representatives of the sector and be part of this ever changing industry.

- What is your career goal?

II like to think that the future always holds something unexpected and beautiful for us, but at the moment I'd really like to keep working in tourism, as I think that's what makes me happy on a professional level. I love to be part of this diverse industry and I am working daily to improve my skills and my knowledge of this fascinating sector. I also see that some steps are being made in order to make it more sustainable and I can actually experience myself that this change in mindset is concrete: the destination I am working for is making a lot of effort to promote and implement sustainable actions in its strategy and results are already visible. Each of us, in their way, can make a little difference and I am glad I can be part of it and I wish this will continue throughout my career.

Questions answered by Cristiana Imperiali (Italy), Alumna of EMTM Generation 2018-2020