Sebastiaan de Vries has a job most people only dream of. Former “International Tourism Management” student started at Tio University after having graduated at the vocational school for tourism (MTRO) and became a Bachelor in 2.5 years at Tio University. Now he works as a product manager for Asia & Africa at TUI Netherlands, the largest tour operator in the Netherlands. "Dealing with holidays every day is great."
Sebastiaan: "I'm very happy to have this great job. After my internship at TUI Netherlands, I stayed on to do research into the area of the Indian Ocean, especially the countries of Mauritius, Seychelles and Reunion and I wrote my final thesis on this research. After having graduated, there were no vacancies at TUI Netherlands, but they did not want to let me go so they found this great place for me."
About the job
Sebastiaan works at the Product Development Department in Enschede. "I am responsible for the destinations, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Gambia, Mauritius, Seychelles and Reunion. I make the contracts with hotels, airlines and local agencies, I design the brochure and price guide, I support the marketing activities and visit the destinations. I inspect the hotels on site, consult the local agents, visit the tour guides and contact the transportation companies, research new opportunities and expansion of our possibilities in the area. These activities are the highlights of the year. This is also the moment of the contract negotiations. These are sometimes hard, but always challenging and they often result in a new contract. With this we can then compete on the holiday market. I travel to destinations and fairs six times a year. What's better than a job in which you can travel around the world? Holidays are my work, I want to make a success of something that people often look forward to for a whole year. It's great to be paid travel around. It is also a challenging and responsible job with lots of variety. Tourism is a nice business with never a dull moment. The variety and the battle to be the best and the cheapest keeps you on your toes. In addition, tourism is a business where many young and enthusiastic people work, that makes it very nice."
Impressive trip
Sebastiaan has made a great number of trips. "The most impressive one was my last purchasing trip to Mauritius. After having investigated for half year, I was very curious after the high standard of the hotels and of course the beautiful beaches. I had very high expectations, but Mauritius really outdid them. Pearl white beaches and crystal clear water, Le Morne Mountain and the vast sugarcane fields, the relaxed atmosphere, lovely climate and friendly people, make you feel at home instantly. "
Continue dreaming
Sebastiaan still has lots of dreams. "I am ambitious and in the future, I would like a management position."
Follow Sebastiaan on LinkedIn.