In episode 7, Catherine Germier-Hamel, Sustainable Tourism Development and Marketing Consultant, joins Jaclyn Yost and Dr. Kelly Cerialo to discuss her roles with Destination Mekong, Herost, and Millennium Destinations. As an impact entrepreneur and Eco-CEO, Catherine sheds light on the importance of utilizing tourism as a force for good and the need for destinations to include sustainability in their tourism development plans.

p.s. – despite the name of the podcast, you are all very welcome here.

For more information, follow along our journey:

https://www.ecomadic.com/

https://www.yourenotwelcomeherepodcast.com/

https://www.instagram.com/ecomadic/

https://www.tiktok.com/@ecomadictravel

Intro Song Credit: Jesus of Babylon - Yalla Arabia

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Speaker Bio:

For over 25 years, Catherine Germier-Hamel has built an international career dedicated to sustainable global and local development in a variety of sectors including tourism, hospitality, leisure and environmental utilities -water, sanitation, waste.  After working for 9 years in a subsidiary of Suez group offering consulting and technical assistance for environmental utilities management in developing and emerging countries, particularly in Africa and Latin America, she decided to embrace a career in sustainable tourism.

In 2005, Catherine started a new life in South Korea where she creates the initiative Wine & Women Korea and promotes wine and sustainable wine tourism then serves as F&B Marketing Manager at Novotel Gangnam hotel (2007-2008). From 2008 to 2013), she joins the UNWTO ST-EP (Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty) Foundation as Director of Global Programs & Sustainable Tourism Consultant before becoming an independent Consultant and Trainer in 2014.

In 2016, she incorporated Millennium Destinations in Seoul, as an impact company providing consulting services and innovative solutions to small businesses and organizations of the travel, hospitality and leisure sectors for their sustainable tourism development and marketing.  In 2019, she co-founded Herost, an impact platform designed as an online travel guide and toolkit promoting sustainable, community-driven travel places, experiences, and practices. Since 2020, she has acted as the CEO of Herost. In 2021, Catherine was appointed CEO of Destination Mekong, a private-sector-led DMO aimed at championing the Greater Mekong Sub-region as  a sustainable tourism destination creating value for all. Catherine holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and Management from Neoma Business School (1992), and a post-degree in Sustainable Tourism Development from University Paris Nanterre (2004).

To connect with Catherine:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cgermierhamel/

Additional links:

Destination Mekong: www.destinationmekong.com

Herost: www.herost.org

Millennium Destinations: https://www.millennium-destinations.com/