Tourism Hub Podcast with Despina Karatzias

Institute of Excellence
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

Do you live and love tourism? Want to build and grow your tourism business and career? Tourism Hub will provide inspiration and education that will empower and ignite your excellence. Each week, I, your host, Despina Karatzias, will share insights and journeys of entrepreneurs and leaders in tourism. Our main aim is to learn proven strategies in tourism, digital marketing and social media and everything in between together to inspire YOUR excellence. Subscribe now and ignite your tourism excellence today. If you want to help ignite the tourism industry with a message of excellence Subscribe on iTunes (http://apple.co/2cbmgVx) and stay connected with special experience maker interviews, insights and inspiration to grow your tourism business and career.

  1. 088 | Driving Regional Tourism Through Technology, Data, and Innovation

    5d ago

    088 | Driving Regional Tourism Through Technology, Data, and Innovation

    In this episode, recorded live at the Australian Regional Tourism Convention in Adelaide, Despina Karatzias sits down with Gary Fog of Bookeasy to talk technology, distribution and the visitor economy. Gary shares his 20-plus years across commercial tourism, from the Wyndham Group to a start-up with Beyond a Holiday and how a tap on the shoulder led him to Bookeasy. The conversation covers Bookeasy's recent acquisition by the G'day Group and the capital investment now fuelling its technology, the mission of keeping commissions and bookings local rather than flowing to overseas OTAs, and how the platform helps smaller regional operators digitise and distribute their product. Gary also offers practical guidance for operators weighing up off-the-shelf SaaS versus bespoke software, building a clear distribution strategy and a direct database, and where AI might take the industry next.   In this episode: Gary's journey through 20-plus years of commercial tourism and how he landed at Bookeasy Bookeasy's acquisition by the G'day Group and what the capital investment unlocks Keeping it local, why retaining commissions regionally matters alongside the OTAs Helping smaller and newer operators digitise their business and get their product to market Off-the-shelf SaaS versus bespoke software, and choosing a proven, well-integrated platform Building a clear distribution strategy, chasing direct bookings and nurturing your own database Episode Chapter 01:07 Gary's background: 20+ years in tourism and joining Bookeasy 02:13 Where Bookeasy is now: the G'day Group acquisition and capital investment 02:46 Keeping commissions local and helping smaller operators digitize 03:39 Why marketing has a cost: bringing new operators on board 04:48 AI and the future of the visitor-servicing network 05:01 Bookeasy's role with visitor centres, RTOs, and distribution channels 06:04 "Think global, start local": distribution and the circular economy 06:39 Off-the-shelf SaaS vs. building bespoke software 07:59 Advice for operators starting fresh or switching platforms 09:23 CRM, databases, and marketing to guests directly Connect with Gary Fog LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-fog-3833984/ Bookeasy: https://www.bookeasy.com/ Subscribe: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Despina Karatzias: https://www.despinakaratzias.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Excellence HQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/

    11 min
  2. 087 | Measuring What Matters, The Data Story with Dave Hockly

    Jun 22

    087 | Measuring What Matters, The Data Story with Dave Hockly

    In this episode, Despina Karatzias chats with Dave Hockly of Data Story about how tourism destinations and operators can measure what actually matters across the customer journey. Dave shares his "if it's not measured, it's not managed" philosophy and walks through how RTOs (Regional Tourism Organisations) can map the journey from discovery through to advocacy, why the marketing playbook must fundamentally evolve in an era of zero-click search and AI overviews, and how to right-size strategy around storytelling, planning content and first-party data.    The conversation explores the power of reviews and demand capture, the "win, win, win" approach to regenerative tourism, and the human heart of it all, experience design, surprise-and-delight moments, and the idea that the visitor, not the destination, is always the hero.   In this episode: Dave's background, from a failed Queenstown start-up to falling in love with marketing measurement and behavioural psychology Why mapping the customer journey brings clarity and aligns everyone on what success looks like How AI overviews and zero-click search are reshaping the RTO marketing playbook, and why your website still matters as the source of truth Rebalancing strategy: top-of-funnel storytelling, AI-assisted planning content at scale, and an underrated first-party data approach The "win, win, win" principle and regenerative tourism (the biodegradable marathon bib story) Using AI operationally in a small team, plus data privacy and settings to watch Why the tourism experience can't be replaced by AI, human connection as the antidote The power of reviews, demand capture and the "review conversion rate" metric Building culture by celebrating and rewarding your frontline people Adapting frameworks like dream–plan–book–experience–share to your own destination and language Why timing your guest surveys changes the insight you get (peak-end rule) The visitor as hero: gratitude, the "thank you" stage, and journey-mapping a whole region   Episode Chapters: 00:00 Podcast Welcome 01:01 Early Business Lessons 02:34 Tourism Roots 03:27 What Data Story Does 07:12 Customer Journey Clarity 08:47 Websites Still Matter 10:36 New Dream Plan Book Mix 16:03 Using AI Day To Day 17:15 AI Data Privacy Concerns 26:37 The Lauren Effect 28:08 Culture That Scales Care 30:25 Measuring Review Conversion 33:24 Customer Journey Frameworks 36:19 Timing Surveys Right 38:36 Visitor As The Hero 41:53 Gratitude And Wrap Up Connect with Dave Hockly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davehockly/ Data Story: https://www.datastory.nz/   Subscribe: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Despina Karatzias: https://www.despinakaratzias.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Excellence HQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/

    43 min
  3. 086 |Building a Business Under the Stars with Kelly Kuhn

    Jun 15

    086 |Building a Business Under the Stars with Kelly Kuhn

    In this episode, Despina sits down with Kelly Kuhn, the experience maker behind Juggle House Experiences and River Murray Dark Sky Tours in regional South Australia. Kelly shares her journey from a country farm and a tourism degree into government policy roles, local council leadership as deputy mayor, and ultimately into running not one but two award-winning tourism businesses. She opens up about the pivotal meeting that launched her into astro tourism, the resilience required to survive COVID and one-in-one-hundred-year Murray River floods just as her business was finding its feet, and the deeply emotional moments when guests see the Milky Way for the first time and burst into tears. Along the way Kelly unpacks what regional collaboration really looks like when competitors become partners, why protecting your peace matters as much as building your business, and how place-making, agritourism, and community can turn a dark night sky into something worth heritage listing for future generations. In this episode you'll learn: How a single meeting of five competitors in a motel room sparked a whole new astro tourism industry, and why they chose collaboration over a competitive SWOT analysis Why trusting your gut and acting fast matters more than a perfect risk management plan when crisis hits, and how Kelly worked through "plan E" during the floods The moment data revealed stargazing was 52% of her business, and why she gave it its own identity as a separate company How saying no and protecting your peace beats an unhealthy hustle, plus the daily habits that keep her grounded Why "progress, not perfection" and asking for help early can break the paralysis that holds so many operators back How astro tourism and nocturism are opening new income streams for farmers through agritourism during drought The difference between "blue deep thinking time" and "red action time," and how to find when you are most productive Episode Chapters 00:00 New Year Welcome 01:28 Kelly Tourism Origins 04:30 Leadership and Empathy 07:29 Dark Sky Spark 11:32 Resilience in Crisis 18:24 Turning Points and Awards 23:22 Observatory and Placemaking 27:48 Excellence Round Pricing 31:00 Habits Tools and Books 36:19 Favorite Travel Memory 38:53 Connect and Closing Connect with Kelly Khun: Juggle House Experiences: https://www.jugglehouse.com.au/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnkelly/ Subscribe: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Despina Karatzias: https://www.despinakaratzias.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Excellence HQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/

    41 min
  4. 085 | The Future of Accessible Tourism with Vacayit

    May 27

    085 | The Future of Accessible Tourism with Vacayit

    Hailey Brown is on a mission to reshape how the world experiences travel and she's doing it one audio guide at a time. In this episode, Despina Karatzias sits down with Hailey Brown, founder of VacayIt, a free audio guide platform creating immersive, sensory-rich narratives for travellers worldwide. Driven by her academic background in both tourism and psychology, and inspired by her blind friend Henry who described a safari as little more than "a face full of dirt," Hailey identified a glaring gap in the market: the visitor experience journey had never been properly designed with people with disabilities in mind. From presenting at the World Tourism Forum in Lucerne during COVID, to winning a Global Innovation Award, Hailey's story is one of courageous curiosity, bold asks, and deeply purposeful entrepreneurship. What makes VacayIt extraordinary is that it was never just built for people with disabilities, it was co-designed with them, and the result is a richer experience for all travellers. Hailey unpacks the commercial case for accessible tourism, shares how her team has become intrinsically accessible by simply hiring the best people for the job, and reflects on navigating a business launch straight out of university with little more than a powerful idea and an unshakeable willingness to ask for help. This episode is a masterclass in saying yes to opportunity, designing for 100% of the population, and why the little things, being seen, heard, and made to feel like you matter, will always be the big things in travel. In This Episode: The origin story of VacayIt and how Henry's experience of a safari sparked an industry-changing idea How Hailey's multicultural upbringing (California, Adelaide, and Queensland) shaped her passion for travel and people Winning the Global Innovation Award at the World Tourism Forum in Lucerne, during COVID, and what came next The power of co-designing with people with disabilities and tourism operators from day one Building an intrinsically accessible workplace, and why it simply means hiring the best people for the job How VacayIt's audio guides generate valuable on-site data for tourism operators and destinations Comparing Australian and American destination marketing structures and what makes each unique Why asking for help (including cold-messaging CEOs on LinkedIn) is Hailey's most underrated business strategy Lessons from The Power of Habit and how psychology underpins Hailey's approach to business and life The commercial opportunity in accessible tourism and why it's not just the right thing to do, it's good business Episode Chapters 04:05 Early Life Goals 08:02 Studying Tourism Psychology 09:23 Mentors In Tourism 12:50 VacayIt Origin Story 15:59 From Award To Launch 21:17 Co-Design And Hiring 24:21 Lessons Asking For Help 26:33 Mentorship Full Circle 30:35 Landing Tourism Australia 32:23 Ask Boldly Find Mentors 34:54 Oprah Moments And Clues 35:51 Accessibility Gap Breakthrough 40:05 How Businesses Use Vacayit 42:56 Destinations Data And Metrics 44:53 Tourism In The US Shift 46:29 Service And Being Seen 49:27 Founder Fire Round 54:51 Travel Favorite Bolivia   Connect with Hailey Brown LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haileybrownn/ VacayIt: https://www.vacayit.com/ Subscribe: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Despina Karatzias: https://www.despinakaratzias.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Excellence HQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/

    58 min
  5. 084 | Bridging the Gap: Tourism, Agriculture, and Community

    Apr 6

    084 | Bridging the Gap: Tourism, Agriculture, and Community

    What happens when two industries that need each other still haven't quite figured out how to work together? In this episode, Despina Karatzias is on location at the 2025 ART Conference, sitting down with Yvette from Destination Riverina Murray for a conversation that covers the ground-level reality of agritourism, social impact, and the visitor economy in rural and regional Australia. Yvette brings nearly two decades of on-the-ground experience managing tourism across 22 local governments, and she doesn't hold back on where the gaps still are. The conversation moves across the social impact shift that defined this year's conference programme, the very real role agritourism plays in keeping rural communities financially viable during drought, and what a 10,000-kilometre road trip with a six-year-old taught Yvette about the visitor experience that no dashboard can show you. There is also a genuinely useful conversation about data — how banking data is helping smaller LGAs tell their visitor economy story for the first time, and where that intersects with AI's growing role in making sense of it all. If you work in regional tourism, destination management, or agritourism, or you're an operator wondering how you fit into the bigger picture, this episode will give you something to take back to your desk. Full show notes: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/084/ Subscribe: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Despina Karatzias: https://www.despinakaratzias.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceHQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/

    22 min
  6. 083 | THRIVE 2030, Australian MotoGP and Building What You Actually Own

    Mar 5

    083 | THRIVE 2030, Australian MotoGP and Building What You Actually Own

    How much of your business success depends on something you don't actually control? In this episode, Despina Karatzias unpacks two major industry stories, the new THRIVE 2030 Action Plan to 2030, launched on 12 February 2026, and the announcement that the Australian MotoGP is leaving Phillip Island for Adelaide from 2027 after nearly thirty years. Together these stories make the same case: building your tourism business on events, platforms, and channels you don't own leaves your foundations exposed to overnight change. Despina connects the MotoGP relocation to the rented digital space conversation she has been having with operators for years — and challenges listeners to honestly assess what they truly own versus what they're borrowing. This episode covers what the THRIVE 2030 Action Plan means for small and medium tourism businesses, why the $230B target is harder to reach than it looks, and what every operator should be doing differently right now. Full show notes: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/083/ 🗓️ Free Live Webinar — 26 March 2026 | 12:00pm AEST Digital & AI Readiness 2026 A free 60-minute live session to help you assess where your business stands and identify the one priority worth acting on now. 👉 Register free: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/events/digital-ai-readiness-2026/ Credits Steve Dimopoulos clip courtesy ABC Melbourne Instagram. Pino's Trattoria tribute video courtesy MotoGP™. Rosa Scarlato has been welcoming MotoGP fans to Cowes since 1991, watch the MotoGP tribute here. Subscribe: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Despina Karatzias: https://www.despinakaratzias.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Excellence HQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/

    44 min
  7. 082⎢Planning 2026: Here's What 2025 Actually Revealed

    12/31/2025

    082⎢Planning 2026: Here's What 2025 Actually Revealed

    2025 fundamentally shifted how tourism operators connect with customers. AI moved from background technology to active intermediary 70% of tourism searches now end without visiting a business website. This finale episode for 2025 cuts through the noise: what actually drove results versus what just looked busy? Despina shares the brutal clarity needed for 2026, addressing both the gradual digital transformation and the profound reminder from the Bondi Beach tragedy about what truly matters in leadership and community. Never miss a Tourism Hub Podcast Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/  Connect with Despina Karatzias https://www.despinakaratzias.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DespinaKaratzias TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias  Connect with the Institute of Excellence Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceHQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.instagram.com/instituteofexcellencehq/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/  Show hosted by Despina Karatzias and brought to you by Tourism Hub in association with the Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com Stay inspired, stay connected, and ignited to share your tourism journey with the world! Subscribe for more inspired conversations that ignite excellence in tourism and small business.

    30 min
  8. 081⎢Eventfolk: Building a Collective Voice for Regional and Rural Events

    11/07/2025

    081⎢Eventfolk: Building a Collective Voice for Regional and Rural Events

    In this episode of The Tourism Hub Podcast, host Despina Karatzias sits down with Linda Tillman, co-founder of the Australian Centre for Regional Events, to explore how collaboration and innovation are transforming regional tourism through events. Discover how a powerful moment at the Australian Regional Tourism Convention inspired Linda to champion regional and rural events, and how that spark led to the creation of Eventfolk, a new digital community built to connect and empower event professionals across Australia. From advocacy and capacity-building to the upcoming AI for Eventfolk Masterclass, this conversation is packed with insights for tourism operators, event organisers, and anyone passionate about building sustainable, community-driven visitor experiences. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to The Tourism Hub Podcast 02:19 The spark from Rose Wright in Mackay 07:55 Launching the Australian Centre for Regional Events 12:05 Inside Eventfolk – a home for event professionals 16:49 Creating a collective voice for regional events 27:21 Announcing the AI for Eventfolk Masterclass (Nov 12, 2025) Mentioned: Australian Centre for Regional Events Eventfolk Connect with Linda Tilman LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ltillman/ Website: https://australianregionalevents.com. Never miss a Tourism Hub Podcast Spotify: https://bit.ly/4nN1Faa Apple: https://bit.ly/47zOkM4 Institute of Excellence: https://www.instituteofexcellence.com/podcast/ Connect with Despina Karatzias https://www.despinakaratzias.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/despinakaratzias/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/despinakaratzias/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DespinaKaratzias TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@desikaratzias  Connect with the Institute of Excellence Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceHQ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tourismhubpodcast/ YouTube: https://www.instagram.com/instituteofexcellencehq/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instituteofexcellence/  Show hosted by Despina Karatzias and brought to you by Tourism Hub in association with the Institute of Excellence. Stay inspired, stay connected, and remember to share your tourism journey with the world! Subscribe for more inspired conversations that ignite excellence in tourism and small business.

    31 min
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About

Do you live and love tourism? Want to build and grow your tourism business and career? Tourism Hub will provide inspiration and education that will empower and ignite your excellence. Each week, I, your host, Despina Karatzias, will share insights and journeys of entrepreneurs and leaders in tourism. Our main aim is to learn proven strategies in tourism, digital marketing and social media and everything in between together to inspire YOUR excellence. Subscribe now and ignite your tourism excellence today. If you want to help ignite the tourism industry with a message of excellence Subscribe on iTunes (http://apple.co/2cbmgVx) and stay connected with special experience maker interviews, insights and inspiration to grow your tourism business and career.

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