Meet Montenegro Travel Massive Chapter Leader, Kirsi Hyvaerinen

It’s time to welcome one of our newest Travel Massive Chapter Leaders. Meet Kirsi Hyvaerinen from our Montenegro chapter.

Since the mid-90s, Kirsi has worked in the field of destinations, tourism businesses, associations, and NGOs, supporting their joint development from master planning to operational excellence. Her focus is on sustainable tourism, capacity building, organizational change, product diversification in emerging and developed destinations, branding and marketing.

What convinced her to join Travel Massive?

“You help businesses and places keep their promises.” stated one of my clients and that’s what motivated me to join Travel Massive!

In 2013, Kirsi founded the South-East European base of PRÁTTO Consulting, and she is co-founder and partner of the ITB Advisory. Originally from Finland, Kirsi graduated with a degree in Business Administration (Tourism Management and Marketing) from Heilbronn University, Germany. Since 2006, her basecamp is in Montenegro, where she works internationally.

Ready to hear what’s in store for Montenegro Travel Massive? We asked Kirsi a few questions!

What motivates you to be part of Travel Massive?

Travel Massive is easy, open, friendly, non-political, useful, fun, not filling my mailbox with advertising, hands-on…so I am excited to see what it can become.

What makes your city a great place for Travel Massive meet-ups?

Well, we do this first for the whole country, which is kind of tiny by square kilometers (13,812 sq.km) and population (about 630.000). However, Montenegro, the “Wild Beauty”, is depending on tourism, one of the fastest growing destinations (8th worldwide, WTTC 2016). This brings enormous challenges as well as opportunities. Our aim is to grow and serve as an open, innovative and inspirational network for “sharing and caring” tourism professionals. By working together through this cooperative hub, we can collectively help develop healthy and integrative tourism development in our entire country. Our goal is to create more attractive experiences for visitors and citizens, therefore, ensuring better prospects for lasting job opportunities in the tourism field. Benefits from new knowledge, skills, and cooperation opportunities are essential for a transformation country like Montenegro is.

What kinds of current or emerging startups, travel companies, and tourism initiatives exist?

Take a look at our growing number of memberships! We are excited to create cooperations with companies such as www.domain.me and the organizers of www.spark.me, including other creative companies, be it big or small.

We embrace NGOs such as CSTI Montenegro – everyone who supports the objectives and philosophies we describe on our page. To involve the next generation of tourism movers and shakers is also essential.

Do you plan to do anything unique at your meet-ups?

We are planning to arrange also experiential and interactive meet-ups as well, and are collecting ideas from the community and learning from other chapters. Have any ideas? Let me know!

What is your best advice to a newcomer who wants to attend a Travel Massive event for the first time?

Get your full profile out there first (on the Travel Massive page), register as soon as you can, bring business cards and an open mind and go speak with people that you don´t know yet! Or with the words of the German philosopher (H. von Foerster): “Always act so as to increase the number of choices.”

Leader of the pack is a monthly series that profiles organizers from Travel Massive meet-ups around the world. You can follow Kirsi on Travel Massive, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Don’t forget to join the Montenegro Chapter if you haven’t already.