In essence, tourism is really just a commodified human activity – or is it? In this discussion, Laura Aalto (CEO, Helsinki Marketing) and Signe Jungersted (CEO, Group NAO) will explore why discussing the future of tourism is really not about tourism, but about human and value connection, about breaking down silos and approaching the governance and development of tourism as a means to empower city, place, community – and not tourism as a goal in itself.
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Why Tourism Is Not About Tourism
Signe Jungersted is CEO and partner in innovation and strategy agency Group NAO. NAO works with strategic transformation and innovation within the experience and visitor economy. Recent projects include 101sustainableideas.com with Gothenburg, Power of Community series with European Cities Marketing and ‘Tourism Taxes by Design’ as a multi-client project.
Signe is formerly Development Director with Wonderful Copenhagen (DMO), where she was lead responsible and author of the 2020-strategy that declared ”The End of Tourism” and welcomed a new era of people-centric tourism development and localhood. Signe was also responsible for major innovation and transformation projects, incl. 10XCopenhagen.
Signe holds a master’s degree in Political science, studied Mandarin in Shanghai and has since pursued management education at MIT Boston, Hyper Island Stockholm and is currently completing an EMBA in Creative Leadership in Berlin. Signe is on the Board of Museums of Odense City (hometown of Hans Christian Andersen) and in 2017, she was selected as among Denmark’s Top 100 Young Business Talents by Danish media company, Berlingske Media.
Laura Aalto is CEO of Helsinki Marketing, a company owned by the City of Helsinki, since September 2017. She has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, communications, branding and corporate partnership. She served as a Marketing and Communications Director for World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 and Turku, European Capital of Culture 2011.
Laura has been transforming Helsinki Marketing and its business to new strategic framework. She has been leading the company’s change process from a traditional DMO to implementing broader city marketing and brand building. Laura holds MA from Helsinki University and eMBA from Aalto University.