Nino Turashvili, 38
Country: Georgia
Bachelor's degree: Tourism Management

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

During and after my Bachelor studies I had been working at international hotels, such as Sheraton and Marriott. Besides the fact that I have always wanted to study abroad, I was eager to get more academic insight of the tourism industry in addition to my existing experience in the accommodation sector.

Now that I think about it, I guess, I was looking for an inspiration for future opportunities in the industry. That is why I applied and it ended up to be one of the best decisions of my life, followed by the most amazing two years of EMTM and counting…

- What is your best EMTM memory?

EMTM as a memory itself is amazing. Even today when I think about the experience, I cannot believe how lucky I am to have had it. It was an exciting, fun, adventurous, interesting, colourful, informative and educational, also a little crazy encounter, all thanks to the people representing the programme itself together with the professors and most importantly with my fellow EMTMers. By the end of the two years we all became one big family with lifelong ties, friendships, memories and more to come.

- What was your next step after EMTM?

After coming back home post-graduation, there was a long year of searching. I had decided that I did not want to go back to the accommodation sector, but wanted to discover more in “active tourism” instead. The process was more challenging than I had imagined, since I did not have any practical experience in the field. But I kept trying…

The process of searching was not only of a job and/or future career route, but of the ways and possibilities for me to realize as well as utilize my knowledge and capabilities.

The second I came out of the interview room of my first job at the Georgian National Tourism Administration – I knew, that was it. The end of the search. My dream job… And guess what – I got it!!! International Tourism Promotion Department at the National Tourism Board. 

It was a perfect job. I was inviting international press (print, TV, online media) representatives to Georgia for them to visit the country, experience it and later on tell their stories to millions of readers and viewers. It was a great responsibility, as I was the one planning their journeys step by step, thus shaping their stories in a way. But most importantly, it was the greatest honor and pride to see how these stories came out at the end, and later on created this image of a destination for potential visitors to explore further. That must have been the reason I kept doing that for over 6 years and never got bored. There was no journalist, no assignment, and no trip I had to assemble alike, just like my EMTM family and our journeys, experiences and/or stories.

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

More than I can count, as some of the ways EMTM has shaped me professionally as well as personally are hard to define and realize. What I can say, though, is how open, understanding and accepting I have become towards people with different nationalities, cultural and professional backgrounds is entirely the result of my EMTM experience and has helped me a lot with international relations and encounters during my work process. 

The programme has significantly improved my presentation skills, which is extremely useful at my current position at the Convention and Exhibition Bureau of Georgia. Furthermore, thanks to all my international friends I was able to see my country’s potential from outside and realize that some things that are common for me (being Georgian) can be new and exciting for others. Now, when I speak about Georgia, while presenting the country’s tourism potential, cultural, historical and natural heritage to future partners, I know exactly what I can catch the audience’s interest with. Often times I even point out the exact examples and feedback of my EMTM classmates.

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

Currently I work for the Georgian Convention and Exhibition Bureau (GCEB) that functions as part of the Georgian National Tourism Administration and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. GCEB aims to provide customer focused solutions for business tourism needs and position Georgia as the leading MICE tourism destination in the Caucasus Region. The Bureau is a one-stop-shop for interested parties for MICE tourism related advice, information and support, all free of charge. 

What I love about this job is the fact that I get to travel a lot to various destinations, meet many potential partners and talk to them, often present in front of big audiences about the subject the most close to my heart, Georgia, my country, that is a beautiful, exciting and interesting travel destination and most importantly, Georgian people who are extremely hospitable and warmhearted.

Questions answered by Nino Turashvili (Georgia), Alumna of EMTM Generation 2011-2013