Internship in Quito, Ecuador

- Nikole Michelle Kjærsgaard Eriksen Cevallos
 

A diverse country

My name is Nikole Eriksen, I’m half Danish and half Ecuadorian and a student at the Service, Hospitality & Tourism Management programme, UCN. I did my internship in Quito, Ecuador which is the capital of the country.

Ecuador is also the most diverse country in South America. It has four geographical worlds; the world of the highlands, the coast, the Amazon jungle, and the Galapagos Islands.

Grayline Ecuador

I was an intern for Grayline Ecuador, which is part of Grayline Worldwide, an American company that just celebrated their 100 years in the business.

During my internship I had the chance of working in many of the different departments: sales, marketing, development, and touring departments. I also had the opportunity to attend the largest annual Tourism fair in South America, which this year was held in Lima, Peru.

Branding tourism trends

My aim in going to Ecuador was obviously to earn experience in the work place, and I must say that it turned out even better than I expected.

When working in the development department I assisted in the growth of a new brand that promotes the latest tourism trends of sustainability and experience economy. It was nice to have the theoretical outlook of these trends from school in order to have the ability to contribute in one of the new company projects.

I truly feel I got a well rounded experience of the business and how a tourism operator is ran. I feel that this is what really prepares us for our professional future.