Leanne Smith

From hosting travellers in Aotearoa to leading regenerative tourism at VisitEngland, Leanne’s story shows how study and curiosity shaped a global career.

I was interested in hospitality and tourism in high school as I loved to host people, meet people from other countries, learn about new cultures and teach them about New Zealand. Combining Tourism Management and International Business seemed like a great combination! I really enjoyed learning about human behaviour and the reasons why people travel in the ways they do as well as learning about tourism destinations and how they develop. I was also lucky enough to do a study abroad to Surrey University in England where I could learn new perspectives.

Throughout university I volunteered as Wellington City Cruise Ambassador and worked part-time at the Wellington i-SITE Visitor Information Centre. This led me to full time work with WellingtonNZ following my studies where I worked full time in the i-SITE before moving into the travel trade team.

I still work in tourism and utilise the learnings from my study daily. Studying gave me a strong foundation that has helped me have a deep understanding of the industry. I also learnt how to think critically and creatively which has helped throughout my career.

I am currently the Senior Regenerative Tourism Manager at VisitEngland, based in London. Tourism took a massive hit during the pandemic, but it is on the rise again. Now, the industry is working on growing back better and how we develop tourism that has a positive impact on people and the environment.

My advice for current students is to for it! It is a fun industry with a lot of different opportunities. Take every opportunity you can while studying and first getting into employment as you never know what doors it will open and where it might lead you.