Catherine Germier-Hamel
Herost, Founder & CEO | Destination Mekong, CEO | Millennium Destinations, Founder & CEO
Sustainable Tourism Development, Management and Marketing Consultant, Trainer and Facilitator
Travel, Tourism, Hospitality, F&B and Leisure
Doing my best to build our world as a fairer place to live and explore
For over 25 years, Catherine Germier-Hamel has built an international career dedicated to global and local sustainable development in a variety of sectors including tourism, hospitality and leisure, and water, sanitation, and waste utilities.
After working for 9 years as a consultant for a French company specializing in technical assistance and operational support to environmental utility management in developing and emerging countries, she decided to embrace a career dedicated to sustainable tourism.
In 2005, Catherine started a new life in South Korea where she creates the initiative Wine & Women Korea and promotes wine and sustainable wine tourism then serves as F&B Marketing Manager at Novotel Gangnam hotel (2007-2008). From 2008 to 2013), she joins the UNWTO ST-EP (Sustainable Tourism for Eliminating Poverty) Foundation as Director of Global Programs & Sustainable Tourism Consultant before becoming an independent Consultant and Trainer in 2014.
In 2016, she launched Millennium Destinations, a Seoul-based enterprise providing consulting services and innovative solutions to small businesses and organizations in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors for their sustainable tourism development and marketing.
In 2019, she co-founded Herost, an impact platform designed as an online travel guide and toolkit promoting sustainable, community-driven travel places, experiences, and practices. Since 2020, she has acted as the CEO of Herost.
In 2021, Catherine was appointed CEO of Destination Mekong, a private-sector-led Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMO) aimed at championing the Greater Mekong Sub-region as a sustainable tourism destination creating value for all.
Catherine holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Neoma Business School (1992) and a post-degree in Sustainable Tourism Development from University Paris Nanterre (2004).
CATHERINE’S CORE Competences
- Social entrepreneurship and executive management
- International cooperation, partnership building, and business development
- Event planning, multistakeholder engagement, and networking
- Destination management, marketing, and branding
- Strategic and operational marketing and communications
- Development of tourism products, experiences, and destinations
- International project design, coordination, and management
- Sustainability tourism strategies, solutions, and practices
- Public speaking, awareness-raising, and advocacy
- Information, copywriting, and storytelling,
- Education, training, capacity-building and mentoring
Core sectors
Tourism, hospitality, leisure, F&B and well-being (since 2004): Destination Mekong, Millennium Destinations, Herost, PlayForest (travel cooperative), Millennium Hikers (association, Founder & President), UNWTO ST-EP Foundation, Novotel, Wine & Women Korea, Visa 21 (association, Founder & President)
Environmental utilities (over 10 years): Lyonnaise des Eaux Services Associés (Suez group), Partenariat Français pour l’Eau, Secrétariat International de l’Eau, Saunier & Associés.
Geographic experience
Long-term: France (mother country), Brazil (São Paulo, 1 year), South Korea (Seoul, 17 years; 2021 Seoul Honorary Citizen), Cambodia (Phnom Penh, since 2022).
Short missions: Benin, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Peru, Panama, Senegal, Togo, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Membership / social and professional engagements
Current
AMFORHT – World Association for Hospitality and Tourism Education and Training | Delegate for Korea (2016-2021), Delegate for the Greater Mekong Sub-region (since 2022)
Global Sustainable Tourism Council – GSTC | Member and Trainer since 2018
World Trails Network | Member, since 2020
Past
2022 Social Entrepreneurship Competition in Tourism | Jury Member
Skål International Bangkok | 2022
Skål International Member (Seoul 2020-2021, Bangkok 2022), Board Secretary (2021)
Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Korea – ESCCK | Tourism Advisor, 2019-2021
AMFORHT – World Association for Hospitality and Tourism Education and Training | Delegate for Korea (2016-2021)
Cercle des Entrepreneurs Francophones de Corée – CEFC | Member, President in 2018-2020
Green Drinks Seoul | Founding Member and Member of the Organizing Team, 2017-2022
Chris & Partners, Global Event Solution Provider: Partner, Global Marketing & Sustainability Consultant, 2017 – 2018.
K-Move Mentoring program, supporting young Koreans in becoming global professionals | Foreign Mentor, 2016 – 2017.
PlayForest, travel cooperative promoting sustainable forest tourism | Founding Board Member, 2015 – 2020.
Conseillère du Commerce Extérieur de la France (French Trade Adviser for Tourism and Sustainable Development), appointed by the French Prime Minister, 2013-2015
Wine & Women Korea wine club: co-Founder, Honorary Member, since 2006
Main speaking & lecturing references
- Speaker of the panel on ‘Women’s Empowerment – the Center Stage of Tourism Recovery’ at the 2023 Mekong Tourism Forum in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, co-organized by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and the Cambodian Ministry of Environment (April 2023)
- Coordinator/Moderator of the panel session on ‘Greater Mekong Subregion promoting innovation and cooperation in tourism towards sustainable economic growth’ at the Global Tourism Forum Earth (March 2023)
- Moderator of the panel session on ‘Tourism qualification and career path development for tourism professionals and low-skilled workers’ at the Hospitality Kampuchea – Hoka Skills Day 2023 – (March 2023)
- Keynote speaker on the ‘Potential of regional partnership for innovation’ and panelist of the session on ‘Enabling Innovation through Collaboration’ at the 2023 Tourism Innovation Summit hosted in Siem Reap, Cambodia, by GIZ ICONE’ (March 2023)
- Chair of the ‘Women Facing Forward‘ online International Symposium – Asia-Pacific (March 2023)
- Guest of the You’re (Not) Welcome Here podcast – Episode 7: Destination Stewardship (Feb. 2023)
- Member of the international expert panel of the webinar on Chinese Tourists 2023 by Tourismwebinar.com (Jan. 2023)
- Panelist at the online Panel Discussion #iEmPOWER Re-activating Economic Opportunities through Tourism, hosted by WIEF Businesswomen Network (Nov. 2022)
- Guest speaker at the Expert discussion on “How to prepare students for quality jobs?” organized by ASSET-H&C in Siem Reap, Cambodia (Nov. 2022)
- Panelist at the First ACMECS (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) and CLMV (Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam) Dialogue under the theme “Tourism Development Towards More Sustainability and Resilience” in Siem Reap, Cambodia (Nov. 2022)
- Online lecture on ‘Fostering and practicing sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia’ for the SEARA – Southeast Asia Research Academy‘s online program (Oct. 2022)
- Panelist at the Hospitality and Sustainability online event co-organized by MQL Sustainable Tourism Services in Vietnam and the European Sustainable Hospitality Club in Catalonia (Oct. 2022)
- Speaker of the breakout session on ‘Delivering Sustainable Growth in the Tourism Sector’ at the 2022 Mekong Forum by Mekong Institute (Oct. 2022)
- Coordinator and moderator of the panel on ‘Social enterprises: a purposeful and powerful tool for sustainable tourism recovery, development, and promotion’ at the Mekong Tourism Forum 2022 organized by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office in Hoi An, Vietnam (Oct. 22)
- Speaker of the session on ‘Wonders and Heritage’ at the 2022 GSTC Asia-Pacific Sustainable Tourism Conference in Gunsan, Korea, (Sept. 2022)
- Speaker at the International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality (ICRTH) 2022 (Sept. 2022)
- Panel speaker (online) at the International Conference on Responsible Tourism and Hospitality 2022: session on Destination Marketing: ‘Sustainable destination marketing creating value, impact and opportunities for all‘
- Guest of The South East Asia Travel Show podcast, Ep 137: Revitalising Greater Mekong Tourism (June 2022)
- Presentation of Destination Mekong at the France-Cambodia Business Forum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (June 2022)
- Expert panelist at the webinar on Women in Tourism, International Perspectives (May 2022)
- Lecture on Sustainable Tourism Revitalizing Local Economies as CEO of Destination Mekong, at the 2021 Korea-Pacific SDG Forum in Yeosu (Dec. 2021)
- Promoting Urban Ecotourism through Garden Experiences, online presentation on the occasion of the Ulsan International Garden Symposium, Korea (Oct. 2021)
- Presentation of Herost at Journées des Respirations Durables in Paris, an event dedicated to tourism restart, recovery and sustainability, hosted by French association Respire, le Tourisme de demain (July 2021).
- Presentation of Millennium Destinations and Herost, webinar on Positive Tourism, Semaine de l’Amérique latine et des Caraïbes 2021 (June 2021)
- Speaker of the “French Tech Connect panel on Female Founders in Korea” (March 2020)
- Interview on Sustainable Tourism for Corée Voyage podcast in French here (November 2020)
- Full-week course on “Asian Hospitality Today” Shanghai, China, within the framework of the MSc on International Hospitality Management of EmLyon Business School – Institut Paul Bocuse (2018 and 2019; online in 2021).
- Smart Sustainable Tourism – Innovative Solutions from France to Korea, Presentation in Gangneung, South Korea, at the 2nd OCOVA Forum in Asia hosted by the Gangneung Science & Industry Promotion Agency – GSIPA (October 2019).
- Insights on the Korean outbound tourism market – The growing appeal of European destinations, presentation to a tourism business delegation from Flanders region, Belgium, visiting South Korea (October 2019).
- Panelist of the General Session on Travel Industry in Asia Pacific Region Trends and Developments at the 18th Asia Pacific Forum for Graduate Students Research in Tourism (APF) in Daejeon, South Korea (June 2019).
- Globalization and Localization Trends in Asian Hospitality, lecture for MScs and PhD students of SIHOM – Sol International Hotel Management Dept. in Daejeon, South Korea (May 2019)
- Community benefit through Tourism, at the 2019 GSTC Asia-Pacific Sustainable Tourism Conference: Quality Through Creativity, in Chiang Mai, Thailand (Feb. 28-March 2, 2019)
- Community-Based Tourism Spillovers, within the framework of the 2018 KOPIST Intensive Training Program hosted by Sejong University, Korea Tourism Organization, and Hyundai Research Institute for an audience of foreign tourism professionals (Nov. 6, 2018)
- Sustainable Smart Tourism Principles and Practices, at the International Conference on Tourism in Vietnam “New Tourism: from local to global initiatives” organized by the National Economics University in Hanoi (Oct. 27, 2018)
- Co-creating Sustainable Smart Tourism Experiences in Cities, 4th Eco-Quartier Seminar in Suwon, Korea (Oct. 4, 2018)
- Sustainable & Smart Tourism: Dealing with (Big) Numbers and Figures at SIHOM – Sol International Hotel Management Dept. in Daejeon, South Korea (September 2017), on the occasion of the 2017 World Tourism Day.
- Domestic and International Marketing for Ecotourism Development (in South Korea) at the 2017 Sustainable Growth Jeollabuk-do Eco-Tourism Forum (June 2017)
- Trends in Marketing & Sales in the Hospitality Industry (or the Art of Converting Strangers into Committed Community Members) at SIHOM – Sol International Hotel Management Dept. in Daejeon, South Korea (May 2017)
- Panelist specialized in sustainable tourism marketing at the 2017 Busan Sustainable Tourism Forum (April 2017),
- Sustainable & Smart Tourism: Going Back to the Basics to Reinvent the Tourism Experience at the 2016 Sustainable & Smart Tourism Forum – Seoul, South Korea (Oct. 2016) :
- Sustainable Tourism & the City: Because We’re Worth It at the Global Sustainable Tourism Conference – Suwon, South Korea (Oct. 2016)
- Presentation on Mountain Hiking at the 9th World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism – Mountain Likers hosted by the UNWTO and the Government of Andorra (March 2016).
- Preparation of presentations, speeches for the Chairperson of UNWTO ST-EP Foundation, also UN MDGs Advocate (2010 to 2015) and UN SDGs Advocate since 2016 (2008-2018)
- Presentations on the South Korean outbound tourism market for National tourism boards and administrations in South Korea (since 2016)).