entrevistas

PILAR ALFARO, DEPUTY HOTEL MANAGER.
PILAR ALFARO, DEPUTY HOTEL MANAGER. 451 451 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

PILAR ALFARO, DEPUTY HOTEL MANAGER.

I am part of a unique project: an icon that has been converted into a spectacular luxury hotel.

I organise groups and events to create exclusive and unforgettable experiences for our clients.

What motivated you to study tourism?

I have always been passionate about contact with people, languages and discovering different cultures. Tourism seemed to me to be the perfect combination of all these interests, and also a very dynamic sector, in constant evolution, with many opportunities for professional growth. I was especially motivated by the idea of being able to accompany others in unforgettable experiences, creating unique moments through service and hospitality. That is why I decided to pursue an education in this field, and since then I have not stopped learning and evolving in the sector.

How has your career developed since you graduated?

My career has been a steady and very rewarding progression. I started working in reception, where I developed a solid foundation in customer service and booking management. Over time I took on more and more responsibilities, moving to positions such as Guest Experience Manager and Sales Executive at Canfranc Estación – an emblematic hotel where I had the opportunity to participate in event planning and VIP customer service. I am currently deepening my understanding of a more strategic vision of hotel management as Deputy Manager within the Barceló´s Development Programme. Each stage has been a step towards greater specialisation and leadership within the sector

 

What do you enjoy most about your job, any memorable experiences you would like to share?

What I enjoy most is being able to create memorable experiences for guests and working in a team with passionate people like me. I love the dynamism of the sector, where every day is different, and the constant challenge of exceeding expectations. A particularly significant experience was the opening of the Canfranc Estación hotel, which was not only a professional milestone, but also a personal one. I was able to witness the entire process up close, from the training of the team to the first events and VIP client stays. Seeing such an emblematic project come to life and being a part of it was undoubtedly one of the most special moments of my career

Pablo Naval
Pablo Naval 1080 1337 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

PABLO NAVAL, WINE TOURISM MANAGER

What motivated you to study tourism?

Like most of us who chose this career, one of my motivations was that I love to travel and get to know new places and cultures. I have also discovered that I enjoy customer service, having helped out in my family’s tourism business since I was a child. I chose to study Tourism because of the variety of subjects in the four courses, where a lot of different topics are covered, and because of the variety of jobs in the sector.

How has your career developed since you graduated?

During my studies I worked in different companies (Government of Aragon, Animation’s Anima, Hotel Reino de Aragón, Monasterio de Obarra, etc…). When I finished my studies, I started working in a tourist office in Roda de Isábena during the summer and at the end of the summer I started working as a receptionist in a hotel. After a year I realised that this was not my passion in the sector and in 2021 I started my current job at Bodega Sommos, where I am currently co-director of the Wine Tourism Department.

What do you enjoy most about your job, any memorable experiences you would like to share?

What I enjoy most about my job is that within it I carry out many different functions, making each day different from the previous one and it does break the monotony (the part of managing events within the winery or the different activities complementary to wine tourism). One of the most recognised experiences is that we have recently been awarded as the best tourist experience in Aragon for our Paramotor flight through the wineries and we are nominated for the best winery in Spain by the readers of the National Geographic magazine.

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JULIA BUISAN, SALES MANAGER
JULIA BUISAN, SALES MANAGER 1080 1080 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

If you know Julia Buisán, you know that the verb bored is forbidden. She is passionate about her work and about people. Customer service and client relations are her domain, which she masters like a true ringmaster.

How long have you been an account manager?

I started working very early. I am 29 years old and have been working professionally for seven years. I started in Benidorm at the Hotel Sol Pelicanos Ocas and later at Hoteles Palafox as a wedding and event planner. I saw that I liked this field and I specialised with a master’s degree from the University of Granada. I think that the Tourism degree orients you and gives you the opportunity to know what you want to do, it’s like general knowledge, but then you have to continue training in what you are interested in. I love events and communication, so I did a master’s degree.
In that master’s degree we had to do an internship, and since I had already worked for Meliá Hotels International in 2013, thanks to ETUZ, I was selected to do the internship there and today I’m still there.

You are working on the Costa del Sol; do you like the sun and beach concept?

I love the possibility to do things, to move and to grow and also the good weather! These big hotels offer you the opportunity to do big events. At the Meliá Costa del Sol we have 400 rooms, which are full in the summer and offer few opportunities for events, but in the winter the occupancy rate drops and that’s where my department comes in. I have also worked in the mountains, in fact, one of my first jobs was in Sierra Nevada, right by the ski slopes, organizing conference events. And now I’m going to explore another area, because I’m starting in Ibiza, as sales manager of the ME Ibiza Hotel , one of the hotels that belongs to The Leading Hotels of the World. The truth is, I love a challenge.

We can tell you are delighted with your company

SAt Meliá employees are really well looked after, and the company encourages them to build a long-term career within it. There are opportunities for promotion, movement… but not only for certain departments, but for all employees! For example, with the new opening in Ibiza, any chambermaid who wants to move here and is already working for Meliá can do so. I love being around people, and working for a company that takes care of its employees gives me real peace of mind.
For someone like me, young and eager to do things, this kind of company opens so many doors.

How did you get here?

TWorking. If there is one thing that characterises my career, it is orientation and work. I started with the tourism course at ETUZ by doing internships: tourist information, receptionist, hostess… a thousand things. And what I discovered through these internships is that I love dealing with customers. I love reception, which is one of the most reviled jobs in tourism. When someone wants to put you down, they say: “You study to be a receptionist, but have you ever worked in a reception? Do you know how complex and satisfying it is to take care of the traveller? I believe we need to give more recognition to certain tourism professions that are far from easy.
Once I knew what I wanted to do, I concentrated on it and threw myself into it. In 2013 I worked as a receptionist at Meliá in Benidorm, then at Samba Hotels in Lloret de Mar, also in reception, and from there I moved to Palafox Hotels as an event organiser. My advice to tourism students is to make the most of all the opportunities that ETUZ offers with its internships. You can get to places you wouldn’t be able to go on your own and make a career out of it.

In your job, the use of languages is essential.

Yes. And this is something very good that the School of Tourism offers. I studied English and French for 4 years, which are the basic languages to be able to get around in the workplace. In my daily life I speak more English than Spanish. And I even started to study Chinese, which I have put on hold with the change. You have to be open to new languages because the world is very big, our country is the second largest in the world in terms of visitors, and also because it is fantastic to be able to communicate with other people.
Look, I have a story about something that happened to us at the hotel. A group of Russians came to stay and we mistakenly gave a lady an all-inclusive card. Usually, Russians come with a guide because they don’t usually speak languages, but this group didn’t have one. We had to change the lady’s card and we tried to communicate in every possible way: English, French, German, Spanish… even sign language. It was completely impossible. We ended up giving her the new one, removing her old card and cutting it up to show her that it was not going to work. The lady started crying her heart out and we had to wait for one of our colleagues at the reception, once again the blessed reception, to explain to her what was going on. The lady thought we were kicking her out of the hotel.

What does the future hold for you?

I don’t know, but I will keep working for the client and who knows, maybe outside Spain, a challenge I haven’t faced yet.   

 

   

BLANCA MURILLO, TOURISM ENTREPRENEUR
BLANCA MURILLO, TOURISM ENTREPRENEUR 451 451 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

BLANCA MURILLO, TOURISM ENTREPRENEUR

Blanca has had a passion for languages and travels since she was a child and has turned her passion into a business idea. Her company, ViveZaragozaTours, shows our city from all angles.

When did you decide to get into the world of tourism, and specifically to focus on guided tours?

I’ve loved traveling and languages since I was little; they’ve always been some of my passions. While I was studying tourism, I went to Florence with my mom. I told her not to hire a guide because I would give her my own tour. I loved doing it, learning all about the city, discovering its details, and then being able to share it. That’s when I realized this was my passion. And here I am, still doing it.

How do you plan a guided tour?

The first thing we do at Viva Zaragoza Tours is to decide which theme we want to visit. There are exciting stories to tell about Zaragoza and these are the ones we like best. Then there is a long process of studying to know everything about that topic. It’s like preparing for an exam on the subject. Remember you can be asked anything and you have to know how to answer. And finally, the most difficult part: to see if this idea can be real. We do this by looking at the map. Seeing how we can connect the dots, tell the stories, see if the route can be done in a certain amount of time or if it would take us too long.
Sometimes it happens that you have great stories, but there is nothing physical to show and, of course, you see that it is not possible to make a guided tour.
For example, we have a route called ‘Bloody Zaragoza’, where we tell the darkest history of our city: with ghosts, unsolved crimes, goblins, mummies… We try to make the visits playful and fun. The public really appreciates it.

Has studying tourism helped you in your current job?

Of course! It was essential. First of all, because I was already oriented towards the field. But then the degree itself helped me to know what exactly I wanted to do. Three things were fundamental:
• First of all, the subject of heritage. This is where I discovered all the wonders that Zaragoza and Aragon have to offer and learned how to interpret them. Zaragoza is a great unknown for the people of Zaragoza themselves! And we often underestimate our own city
• The second was an internship at the Zaragoza Tourism Board, where I did what I do now: guided tours. I realised that I was really passionate about this job, it may seem the same every time, but it’s always different because the people who accompany you change constantly.
• The third was the opportunity to present my business idea in my final year project, with the support of the ETUZ faculty. Being able to assess the feasibility of my company with the guidance of my professors was an invaluable source of support.

How do you see yourself in the future?

Together with my partner Leyre Castillero, I’ve created this company, Viva Zaragoza Tours, with the intention of making it a lasting business. So, I see myself in the future here, sharing more stories about our city and helping visitors get to know it better. The passion we both have for history, art history, and customer service drives us to build and move forward. The truth is, we’ve been working at full capacity for six months, and right now, we can’t imagine any other future than this one.

   

 

   

Social Media Manager, Soraya Meinema
Social Media Manager, Soraya Meinema 2560 1707 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

SORAYA MEIMENA, SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Soraya has always been closely linked to the wine and wine tourism sector. From the beginning of her studies, her passion for the sector led her to dedicate herself to it.
This effort has been rewarded with his career in charge of digital communication at a winery

What is your current role and how long have you been with the company?
Since June 2017, I have been defining and creating the global social media strategy for Bodegas RODA, Bodegas LA HORRA and AUBOCASSA. I also manage the customer service for private clients and support the sales department, attending fairs and events in the wine sector.

When you were studying tourism, did you think about working in the wine tourism sector?

Part of my family is from La Rioja, so I have a strong connection with the area. From the beginning of my studies, I knew that I wanted to work in the wine sector and most of my projects were focused on this.

How did you arrive at your current company?

Bodegas RODA is the company where I did my internship at the end of my studies.

What is the best thing about your job?

I find my work stimulating and inspiring, there are always new projects to develop professionally and personally.
   

What did you like most about your time at ETUZ? Did you do an internship? If so, where?

What I appreciated most about the University School of Tourism in Zaragoza was the emphasis on internships from the first year and its international focus. I worked as a hostess at trade fairs and events and I did internships at the Zubiatur travel agency, at the Hotel Beatriz Costa Teguise & Spa in Lanzarote and at Bodegas RODA.
I did my last degree course in Krems an der Donau, Austria.

What do people say when you tell them that you have a degree in tourism? Would you choose this degree again?

Many people are positively surprised, especially when you explain the diverse content of the degree (from accounting, languages… to art, history).

Do you see yourself working in this sector in 10 years? Where do you see yourself?

I consider myself very lucky. I like my job, the working environment and the future projection.

 

 

 

CRISTINA LÓPEZ, DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST
CRISTINA LÓPEZ, DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST 451 451 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

CRISTINA LÓPEZ, DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST

Cristina López specialises in digital marketing at Spain’s largest accommodation and activity booking platform, Centraldereservas.com. Connectivity and everything digital are in the DNA of Cristina’s work and her current company. Through these tools they are able to communicate, build loyalty and increase the visibility of destinations from all over the world.

What is your current role and how long have you been with the company?

I’ve been part of the digital marketing and communications department for over a year now, but I’ve been with the company for six years. My daily tasks include web positioning through paid campaigns and SEO, writing blog articles, managing social media and the full development of campaigns with influencers.

How did you end up at Centraldereservas.com? How do new technologies impact travel planning? Can you work from anywhere?

I joined through my final year internship and have had the chance to work in different departments (customer service, billing and now marketing).
Nowadays, anyone can book accommodation or services from anywhere and the company follows the same approach. As it is all digital, I work completely remotely with flexible hours.

What’s the best thing about your job?

For me, the best part is that there’s no monotony. Every day is different. Even though there are day-to-day tasks, there are always new projects, new actions or new ideas for improvement that you can work on and develop.

What did you like most about your time at ETUZ? Have you done any internships? If so, where?

The best part of my time at ETUZ was definitely the opportunity to do internships from my first year. I had the opportunity to do a lot in different areas:

• Zaragoza Turismo, as a tourism informant and guide in the offices.
• Hotel Alfonso, Zaragoza, in the department of events and protocol.
• C.C. Aragonia, doing administrative work in the management department of the shopping center.
• Hotel Samba in Lloret de Mar and Hotel Ánfora in Ibiza, working at the reception desk during the summer.
• Turismo de Aragón, as a tourist information officer at several national tourism fairs (FITUR, Navartur, B-Travel…).
• And others… like working as a hostess in different events and conferences

What do people say when they find out you have a degree in tourism? Would you choose this degree again?

People are usually surprised because it’s not seen as a very common degree and even more when I work in the sector but not in a directly related field. At the end of the day, you never really know what’s the right choice, but I’m happy with where I’ve ended up, and it’s quite possible that if I hadn’t studied tourism, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

REBECA SORIANO, TRAVEL CONSULTANT
REBECA SORIANO, TRAVEL CONSULTANT 2560 1707 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

REBECA SORIANO, TRAVEL CONSULTANT

Turkey, Cuba, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Japan. Rebeca Soriano’s passport is as much a part of her daily life as her good nature and desire to discover the world. The only thing you want to ask Rebeca when you meet her is: “Where are you taking us?

 

Your work Rebeca is the dream of many people. Are you aware of that?

Yes, I am. I am very lucky because I do what I love: travel. I plan, promote and organise group trips to different parts of the world. It’s a very rewarding job that allows me to do 3 or 4 big trips a year. Our agency specialises in ‘unusual’ trips because we try to go off the beaten track and give our travellers experiences. For example: sleeping on a coffee plantation or watching the sunrise from a unique location. These trips are created with a lot of love and care. I always say it is like organising a trip with your friends, where every detail is taken care of. All our clients have to do is enjoy it. We do 10 trips a year for 25 people and we usually have a waiting list.

And how do you discover these unique experiences that you offer on your trips?

PFirst, by reading a lot, getting information from the office, looking for interesting travel stories: I love Paco Nadal, for example. And then by going deeper. For this purpose, trade fairs such as FITUR are essential, because that’s where you can see if the destination is viable: if it corresponds to the needs of your clients, to their tastes. But in order not to buy the typical, you have to go through the learning phase. Otherwise, you will be sold the most common and that is not what we sell. In the agency we play between more commercial destinations, such as Japan, and more exotic ones, such as Bolivia, but in all of them we offer an atypical trip. At FITUR you check the difficulty of the trip, the suitable accommodation, the progress of the itinerary itself. This leads you to accept or reject the destination. I have rejected destinations because they are too hard for my clients. Let’s enjoy, not suffer.

What was your last trip?

My last trip with clients happened to be to Mesopotamia in Turkey, where the earthquake hit. And the one before that was a prospecting trip to Cuba. Sometimes we don’t know the final destination, we are invited or we organize trips to the country to market it. It is a very nice job and although it has its downsides, because all jobs have their downsides, it is very enriching: you are always learning and getting to know people and places.
And now I’m going to Egypt, also for prospecting, because I don’t know it. It is this year’s trendy destination. It’s interesting how some destinations may appear quite typical, yet remain unfamiliar to us, while others may seem unusual but are places, we visit regularly. I’m taking clients to Uzbekistan, which is a very familiar destination for me, when I get back from Egypt. And in May I’m going to Japan

In your case, studying tourism was the right choice. Why did you decide to study this degree?

I didn’t really have a specific vocation. I liked a lot of things, but there were two main reasons for my choice:

  • Travelling has always been my passion, ever since I was a child.
  • Languages, which I love. It’s the only degree where I had two languages throughout my studies. English, which is essential on the international scene, and then you could learn German or French. In the others you only had one language.

I have worked in other tourism sectors, I was an official guide at La Aljafería and Caixaforum, until I found what I really love and now I wouldn’t change it for any other job. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else!
One of the most interesting things that the School of Tourism of Zaragoza offered me was the internships, which allowed me to get to know and find out what I liked. I started with an internship in a hotel and I realised that wasn’t the right way for me. I needed something that would allow me to develop my creativity, just like now. The opportunity to try out different jobs and find out what they really involve before you enter the job market allows you to orientate yourself for your future. You can start your internship in your first year and that gives you a very broad view of your career preferences. I don’t think that happens in any other degree. In general, they are quite distant from the professional world. In fact, I started working at Luz Marina , my current company, during my fourth-year internship, and I’ve been here ever since.
A degree in tourism might surprise you, as it offers a lot of opportunities and a wide range of career possibilities.

What is the best part of your job?

The best part is travelling and what goes with it. Getting to know the places and the people you meet. And sometimes travelling changes people’s lives. When they thank you for the journey, that’s the best. When they say – I always wanted to come and I couldn’t have gone alone.

Most of my clients are women. Women travel much more than men and it is a great pleasure to see how these travel companions, who started out as strangers, become great friends. In fact, there are groups who meet on a trip and keep traveling together.

And the worst part?

The worst part is the responsibility and stress. You are responsible for your group throughout their stay and medical emergencies can happen, which is the worst-case scenario. Also, you have to be very open-minded, always available and resilient to change in order for everything to run smoothly. You plan the trip, but you have to be able to adapt.
This job is all about being super organized, handling stress and people well, and having a fun attitude. If you’re not, it’ll be tough to handle.

JAVIER TERRÉN, HEAD OF TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT FIBA CHINA
JAVIER TERRÉN, HEAD OF TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT FIBA CHINA 451 451 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

JAVIER TERRÉN, HEAD OF TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT FIBA CHINA

Basketball has always been part of Javier Terrén’s life. After playing for Breogan, CAI Zaragoza and Canarias La Laguna, among other professional teams, he moved to China, where he currently runs a basketball training company, NBG Academy.
A life that allows him to combine two of his greatest passions: sports and traveling. As a former ETUZ student, he shares with us how this new professional and personal adventure is progressing.

You are a professional athlete with an extensive career in basketball. But why did you study Tourism? What memories do you have from that time?

I was a professional athlete (I’ve been retired for 8 years now). The truth is that I saw it as something compatible with my studies. After two years of trying to study chemical engineering, I realised that in order to keep up with the pace I wanted, I needed to choose something that would be more balanced. I’ve always been good with languages and enjoy interacting with people, so I thought tourism could be the right choice.
It was a very nice time in my life that linked me to normal life, because when you are in a sports dynamic you certainly spend many hours training, travelling and resting. I met a lot of people with different interests and hobbies, that helped me a lot to keep track of my classes when I had to miss them for different reasons. I also have to be very grateful to the professors who understood my situation from day one and made things much easier for me. For example, I spoke to the team so I could skip practice some mornings and go to class, and that’s what we did.
But if a player was sick or they needed me, they would text me and I had to go to the training. I went to class every day with my workout bag, and if they needed me, I’d just leave class and head straight to the training. (The professors understood my situation perfectly and there were never any complaints).

You currently live in China. Why China? What made you decide to go there?
In 2010, I decided to come here as a personal project to learn Chinese because I was tired of the crisis and of the life in Spain. I believed that learning Chinese would be the perfect complement to my academic background.

Did you know Chinese?
No, I didn’t when I came here.

Sport and travel don’t seem like a bad combination, do they? You combine two great passions in your company!
I’m very lucky to be able to dedicate my life to basketball and travel for it, so I can’t complain.

Starting a business in China must be pretty challenging, right? What made you decide to set it up there? Do you have any partnerships?
After several years working on my projects, it was time to take the next step, and with a Chinese partner I’ve known for a few years, we decided to go for it. It’s been a tough but enriching experience working closely with a Chinese partner, though for me, it didn’t end on a positive note. China is a different country, a different culture. I like to think that, like everywhere else, there are both good and bad people. But certainly, my personal experience and that of everyone I’ve met while doing business with the Chinese has been the same. The attraction of money and the power it brings changes everything; the weight of a word or a contract doesn’t mean much to them. And at the end of the day, we are nothing more than foreigners in the eyes of the law. So, my advice is to be cautious, have everything well documented and, if possible, follow the laws outside China. However, I would like to believe that this will change with time and that the new generations, educated and with different values in certain things, will not follow the Chinese tradition in this aspect.

Are you planning to move back to Spain in the medium term?
If everything goes well, I just hope to go back for holidays.

Mercedes Arruebo CM de Turismo de Aragón
Mercedes Arruebo CM de Turismo de Aragón 1080 1078 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

MERCEDES ARRUEBO, HEAD OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION AT THE ARAGON TOURISM BOARD

Mercedes Arruebo is a hyper-connected woman, new technologies are her passion and also her job, she is the Head of Digital Communications at Turismo de Aragón. An intrepid and restless woman who began her career at the Zaragoza University School of Tourism and has been studying to specialise in digital communication applied to tourism.

Travel agent, receptionist, tourism technician, community manager… your career has been varied and enriching. Is there anything else you would like to do in tourism?

It’s a career that started early – two decades ago – and that allowed me to gain experience in different positions in the sector. I don’t think about what I still have to do, because I’m totally focused on my job, which is in the New Technologies Department of Turismo de Aragón.

We can see from your career path that you are not afraid of change. Do you recommend trying out different areas of work before specialising?

No fear at all. I have tried very enriching options that have given me a lot, from hotels to travel agencies to congress organisation, but I have specialised in online communication. This sector requires hyper-specialisation, so of course my advice is not so much to try, but to specialise… to know your trade in depth in order to be good at your job.

In your case, you have decided to go into tourism communication and you have been trained for it in addition to your degree. How did you discover that this was your field of interest?

Online communication applied to tourism seems to me to be an exciting opportunity for professional growth. I believe that effective communication is the key to success. Having a good relationship with the user, having information about their tastes, expectations, needs and the outcome of their experience helps to maintain a positive image, a favourable online brand reputation. Social media is the tool through which you can channel all this information and have a direct, spontaneous and immediate relationship with the tourist, with the user.

From your current position as head of digital communications at Turismo de Aragón, what is your vision for the future of tourism communications?

Today’s world requires constant communication. The way we communicate and the channels we use are constantly changing. Every day there are new platforms that force you to be up to date. The cloud, social networks and mobility are essential elements in the future of tourism communication. Big data is a necessary source of information to get to know the customer better and to personalise the tourism offer. On the other hand, trends such as the development of the Internet or artificial intelligence will enable new forms of interaction. Contextual marketing, virtual or augmented reality, gamification… all make it possible to personalise the customer experience, which is becoming more and more demanding. The key is to create unique, competitive and sustainable products and services to improve the experience of each tourist. The challenge is innovation

Is the sector prepared for the challenges of the coming years and do you think new tourism profiles will be needed? which ones?

POf course it will. The tourism sector is becoming more and more complex and we need to adapt to the new challenges we are facing. I think they are profiles of the present, but they will evolve much more because we are talking about technology. Nowadays, analytical profiles are needed. As they say nowadays, “data is gold” and professional people are going to be needed. We have a lot of information and what these profiles do is analyse it and give us guidelines. Let’s use these profiles to attract customers. For example, with experts in online sales, digital marketing, search engines, paid organic positioning or traffic acquisition, among others.

Is the Aragon brand a brand with pull in the Spanish panorama? What do tourists appreciate most?

According to the tourism data for 2017, Aragon had the best year in its history. A total of 3,671,259 travellers visited us last year, 7.90% more than in 2016. In terms of the situation of Aragon in relation to other Autonomous Communities, we have climbed to ninth place in absolute terms of the number of tourists, overtaking the Basque Country in both the number of travellers and the number of overnight stays. If we look only at the inland regions, we are in second place, only behind Castilla y León.

What do tourists value most?

Destination, quality, hospitality, uniqueness, friendliness, service, amazement, price… whether it is ornithology, culture or active tourism, it is only by meeting these requirements that we can make our travellers fall in love with Aragon. And in many cases, they are fulfilled here.

EVA GARGALLO, MANAGER OF SERCOTEL ALFONSO XIII
EVA GARGALLO, MANAGER OF SERCOTEL ALFONSO XIII 1080 1080 Escuela Universitaria de Turismo de Zaragoza

EVA GARGALLO, MANAGER OF SERCOTEL ALFONSO XIII

Eva Gargallo is an organised and fearless woman who is currently deputy manager of the Sercotel Alfonso XIII and Carlos III hotels in Cartagena. A former president of the Cartagena Hotel Association, she has focused on de-seasonalizing the tourism offers by developing a territorial brand for Cartagena and highlighting its cultural attractions

When did you start your studies at ETUZ?

I started studying tourism in 1995, 30 years ago.

From Zaragoza to Cartagena When you started your career, did you consider Murcia as a destination?

Not at all, I started with an internship at the NH Ciudad de Zaragoza and continued working there. At some point I was selected for an internal promotion where we were trained to become hotel managers and one of the conditions was to be geographically mobile. Two months after finishing the training I was offered a job as a manager, first I said yes and then I asked where.

You have developed your career in large hotel chains such as NH and Sercotel. How did you get started in these companies?

I started my career in NH Hotels. I started as a trainee in the reception department and immediately started working as a receptionist. After four years, I was promoted to Sales and Events Coordinator at NH Ciudad de Zaragoza.
In 2006 I moved to Cartagena to manage the NH Cartagena and in 2010 I was in charge of the opening of the NH Campo Cartagena, the second NH in the city. I combined the management of the two hotels until 2013.
Last February I left NH Hotels for good and started a new career at Sercotel Alfonso XIII and Carlos III Hotels, also in Cartagena.

What is your current role at Sercotel?

Our relationship with Sercotel is a commercial one. We manage the hotels independently. Sercotel is a hotel chain that manages its own properties but also markets independent hotels, like ours.
Currently, I hold the position of Deputy Director at the Sercotel Alfonso XIII and Sercotel Carlos III hotels in Cartagena, where I am in charge of operations and commercial strategy.

The professional profile of the tourism worker is now more valued than it used to be. What do you look for in a new employee?

Good professionals have always been highly valued, I don’t think there is much difference from when I started.
It is true that today’s professionals need to be much better prepared in other areas, such as new technologies, because the world of tourism has changed a lot and is changing very quickly.
What I value most when hiring a professional is their desire to learn, to evolve and develop as a professional. I don’t like profiles that are looking to accommodate themselves and survive. Working in tourism is not easy, it means long hours, holidays, shifts… and either you are passionate about it or you cannot dedicate yourself to it.

As former President of the Cartagena Hotel Association, a position you held for a year and a half, what is the value of territorial branding in the development of tourism?

Having a recognised tourism brand in the market is one of the priorities that a destination must have.
Destinations need to think about what kind of tourism model they want to be, how to become one and how to create a strong and recognised brand that identifies them.
To achieve this, the private sector must demand a coherent tourism policy from the administration, with a clearly defined strategy. And the administration must cooperate and put itself at the disposition of tourism businesses, in this case, in order to create a coherent and sustainable tourism model over time, creating employment and wealth.

¿Do you believe territories are investing in brand differentiation?

Not as much as they should, especially in the territories that have a lot of sun tourism. Sun tourism has picked up in recent years due to the problems in some receiving countries, but this will come to an end and these countries will return to stability, so either we differentiate ourselves or we will once again suffer a lack of tourists.
Luckily Cartagena has a part of sun tourism, but a very important part of cultural tourism. This is where we have to find the difference, we offer sun, good weather, culture, gastronomy, etc.

What do you see as the most promising area in tourism, and would you encourage people to study for a degree in tourism?

Of course I would encourage people to study tourism, after 23 years I would make the same choice again. It is a profession with a lot of job opportunities and, above all, a lot of opportunities for professional development to be able to progress as a professional.
As for the most promising sector, I couldn’t choose one in particular. For example, in Cartagena, everything related to cruise ships is evolving a lot. We have a port with a large number of stopovers and a large number of companies and professionals related to this type of tourism are developing. Depending on the destination, some sectors are more important than others.

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