VisitScotland

Joanne MacLeod,
New Product Introduction Manager,
VisitScotland

CIM Diploma in Tourism Marketing 2009-2010

Why did you choose to study the CIM Diploma in Tourism Marketing?
My background is in Information technology and a few years ago I undertook a career change moving into the tourism industry to work for a destination organisation. I work with a variety of individuals within tourism and wanted to understand more about marketing as well as the tourism industry…both fairly new to me. Whilst investigating qualifications I came across the CIM Diploma in Tourism Marketing which was exactly what I was looking for.

Was the Capela course what you expected?
Yes and more. It provided me with a breadth of understanding as well as access to qualified tutors. In addition it allowed me to meet with other individuals and learn more about what they do, which for me, was part of the learning experience. I began to appreciate how marketing worked from other perspectives including tour operators, hotels and even other destination organisations.

What impact has this qualification had on your career or ability to carry out your job?
I work closely with marketing teams that develop the consumer campaigns that attract people to Scotland. Doing this qualification has given me the confidence to work more effectively with them and as a result improve the quality of the products I develop. Gaining the qualification has also opened far more doors in terms of career development also.

Any further comments?
I studied the qualification over 9 months. The flexibility was there to study for as long or short period as you wished, which I liked. On most of my courses I met with some of the same individuals which was great as you began to understand their companies far more as a result. Prior to working on our assignment for each module we attended a study weekend in London where we focused on the content of that particular module and discussed the next assignment. The brainstorming sessions were invaluable!