Ciao, my name is Irene Paolinelli and I have joined NECSTouR's team as Network Marketing and Communication Manager. I will be working with Cristina, Tomaso, Oyana and Justine with the mission of:

• Managing NECSTouR's communication strategy and all related communication activities
• Building up the communication network to develop synergies within the community of NECSTouR's members 
• Supporting the network in performing communication activities in an impactful way

My passion for Sustainable Tourism, Marketing, and Communications has led me to embark on NECSTouR’s journey. 

Growing up in Italy, I was raised on the Tuscan hills between Lucca and the sea. Since I was a child, I have been driven by curiosity, discovering different cultures and mastering a variety of foreign languages. A recent mind-opening journey to Brazil enlightened me about the impactful projects about social and environmental sustainability that our society needs.

Thanks to my experiences in Brussels at the European Parliament, the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies, and Intergraf, I gained a wide-ranging experience in European Affairs’ communications. At European Travel Commission, I have been supporting the team in developing Digital Marketing Campaigns to promote Europe as a tourist destination in third markets, with the mission of strengthening its sustainable development. Prior to that, I worked in the leading start-up incubator in Lisbon, Startup Lisboa, operating in the Tourism, Tech, and Commerce sectors, and had experience in start-ups involved in sustainable tourism.

I graduated cum laude in Tourism Sciences at the University of Pisa (Fondazione Campus Lucca) – joint Bachelor’s Degree programme with the University of Pavia and the Università della Svizzera italiana USI. During this period, I held a semester abroad in Valladolid, Spain at UEMC Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes. Later, I specialised in Marketing, obtaining a Master’s Degree in Marketing at ISEG Lisbon School of Economics & Management, the University of Lisbon, where I had the opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired to the tourism field with a dissertation focusing on sustainable tourism, in particular exploring “The Reasons for the Choice of Sustainable Accommodation”.

Hobbies? I like playing volleyball, taking pictures, and participating in activities related to sustainable tourism, for instance, by helping disseminate the academic work of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism and joining UNESCO’s Italian Youth Association for the Tuscan Regional Committee initiatives. My motto takes inspiration from Goethe’s manuscript ‘Italian Journey’: 'Life belongs to the living, and who lives must be prepared for changes.'

You can address me in English, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese at irene.paolinelli@necstour.eu

What’s next? Let’s shape the tourism of tomorrow together! Looking forward to meeting you all!