Let’s Rethink Tourism

Tourism work and education are evolving.

The industry is facing growing challenges around attracting people, building careers, strengthening capability and encouraging innovation.

Drawing on her experience across the tourism sector and insights from the Tourism Matters podcast, Carmen brings a practical, industry-wide perspective on how the industry is changing - from careers and capability through to entrepreneurship and experience design.

Carmen delivers practical workshops that connect these pieces. Her sessions are grounded, relevant and focused on application, helping participants rethink roles, strengthen career pathways and build more capable, connected tourism teams.

Workshops

  • A practical workshop exploring how tourism work is evolving and what that means for tourism businesses, educators and industry organisations.

    Introduces a clear framework for modern tourism capability — helping participants rethink roles across the full visitor journey, strengthen career pathways and focus on the capabilities that underpin great visitor experiences.

    The session connects workforce, careers, education and entrepreneurship, offering a more integrated way to think about how the tourism industry attracts, develops and supports people.

    What we explore

    • The visitor journey as a framework for understanding tourism roles
    • How tourism work is shifting — and what this means for careers and capability
    • The capabilities that underpin strong visitor experiences
    • How operators, educators and industry can better connect
    • The role of entrepreneurial thinking within tourism teams
    • How capability influences experience quality, retention and business performance

    Outcomes

    Participants will leave with:

    • A practical framework for rethinking tourism roles across the visitor journey
    • A clearer understanding of how careers, capability and experience design connect
    • Ideas for attracting, developing and supporting people within tourism
    • A more integrated view of workforce, education and industry needs

  • A practical session exploring how tourism careers are understood, communicated and experienced — and what needs to change to attract and retain the next generation of tourism professionals.

    This workshop looks at how careers in tourism are often perceived versus how they actually unfold, and the role businesses, educators and industry play in shaping those pathways.

    What we explore

    • Why tourism careers are often misunderstood
    • How career pathways actually develop in tourism
    • The role of businesses in shaping career visibility
    • How to better connect industry and education
    • What attracts people to tourism — and what makes them stay

    Outcomes

    Participants will leave with:

    • A clearer understanding of how tourism careers are formed and communicated
    • Practical ideas for improving career visibility and entry pathways
    • Insight into how businesses can better attract and retain talent

  • A practical workshop exploring how tourism roles contribute to the visitor experience — and how small shifts in how work is structured can significantly improve experience quality.

    The session focuses on moving beyond task-based roles toward experience-led thinking across the visitor journey.

    What we explore

    • The difference between task-based and experience-led roles
    • Where value is actually created in the visitor journey
    • How teams contribute to experience design and delivery
    • How to create space for storytelling and guest connection
    • Small, practical shifts that improve visitor experience

    Outcomes

    Participants will leave with:

    • A new way to think about tourism roles and responsibilities
    • Ideas for aligning teams more closely with the visitor experience
    • Practical changes that can improve experience quality and consistency

working together

Each session is tailored to the audience — whether working with tourism operators, educators or industry organisations.

Workshops are practical and grounded, designed to reflect real industry challenges and create space for discussion, reflection and application.

Sessions can be delivered in person or online, depending on your needs.

From initial enquiry through to delivery, the focus is on keeping the process simple and ensuring the session is relevant, useful and easy to apply in practice.

Tourism Entrepreneurship & Innovation Programs

When students and emerging professionals are exposed to real industry challenges and opportunities, they develop a stronger connection to the industry and a clearer sense of career pathway and where they fit within it.

Carmen designs and delivers entrepreneurship and innovation programs that bring together industry, education and real-world application.

Her experience includes contributing to and delivering established programs such as the Study Australia Entrepreneurship Challenge, Joondalup Innovation Challenge, Interchange NSW and other industry-based initiatives focused on developing ideas, building capability and connecting participants with industry.

This work is focused on building entrepreneurial thinking within tourism — supporting students, emerging professionals and operators to develop, test and evolve ideas within the visitor economy.

Programs can be tailored for:

• students and emerging tourism professionals
• tourism operators and small business owners
• destination and regional initiatives
• industry and education partnerships