▪️ Can you tell me bit about yourself?

“I’m Charlotte Penn, a student at the University of Wolverhampton studying a BA(Hons) Tourism Management degree. I am currently a student representative for two board committees known as ABTA ‘travel with confidence’ and the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT), working alongside mentors and industry experts. These individuals from the likes of ABTA (Vicki Woolf), Midcounties Coop Travel (Louise Winter), Wolverhampton University Hospitality/ Events Manager (Amanda Ross) and chairmen ambassadors of ITT (Olly Nicholls & Tina Benbow) have helped support me during my studies, in terms of expanding my networking skills within the travel and tourism industry, and professional transferable and development skills. 

▪️ Tell me about your experience within the travel and tourism sector?
My experience within the travel and tourism sector was minimal prior university, as I previously worked in a retail background from high-street shops like Primark and Next, until I was offered a job opportunity from AttractionWorld Group. This involved working in a B2B and B2C operations environment, where I would sell and book tickets for: tours, excursions, and experiences to global destinations, such as Florida, Disneyland Paris, Europe etc., for customers. That is where I found my love for travel and tourism! I was surrounded by influential characters, great job opportunities where I had the privilege to go abroad and represent the company and have meetings with some of the biggest attraction companies in the world such as Universal Studios. This is where I found myself and decided that I wanted to work in this industry as a career for the future. 

▪️What are your goals for the future?

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 affecting the world on a global scale since 2020 and the current war on Ukraine, the Travel and Tourism industry has had a massive hit. However, I am confident that it will bounce back bigger and better than ever, and I cannot wait to be a part of something amazing when it does”.