Published: 27 October 2022
The inaugural ‘MD for a Day’ program had 14-year-old student Mia Thomas shadow Tourism WA’s Managing Director Carolyn Turnbull for one day, to gain insights into the operations of WA’s State Tourism Organisation and the sector overall.
Ms Thomas explored the diverse range of activities Tourism WA drives across Aviation, Destination Development, Events and Marketing divisions, to support the state’s tourism industry and promote WA as an incredible holiday and events destination to international and interstate visitors.
Ms Turnbull said ‘MD for a Day’ will become an annual program and is designed to raise the profile of the industry among secondary school students.
“The ‘MD for a Day’ initiative is all about giving aspiring young leaders an opportunity to learn firsthand about the many different elements of the tourism industry, and gain insight into the varied and exciting career paths the sector can offer.
“I am committed to raising the profile of the sector among secondary school students – they are the leaders of tomorrow, and it is so important to continually build a pipeline of workers to support the industry into the future.
“Mia is an inspiring young leader with a real passion for tourism, and was a fantastic first ‘MD for a Day.’ I look forward to working with equally dedicated young people as the initiative builds into an annual program, and continues to create opportunities for students for years to come.”
Ms Thomas is the daughter of the late Troy Thomas, a much-loved and highly-respected Broome-based entrepreneur who founded the award-winning Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures.
The MD for a Day activities started with a photo opportunity on pitch at Perth Rectangular Stadium ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 soccer tournament, before heading to family-owned and operated in Matagarup Zip and Climb Burswood to meet with a local operator and climb 35 metres to the bridge’s launch platform before ziplining 400 metres across Derbal Yerrigan (the Swan River).
It was then back to the office, where Ms Thomas was introduced to the Tourism WA team, before contributing to various projects across the agency’s divisions.
“Today has been a day I never imagined I would ever be a part of – witnessing the FIFA announcement was a great opportunity to see and hear about a big event happening in the future, and being in the office and seeing everything that happens behind the scenes to make it all happen has been really revealing,” said Ms Thomas.
“The zip and climb was unbelievable. Having a chance to experience another tourism operation was amazing - when you get to the top of the zip and climb and look out to see the amazing land we’re on, it’s so special and it makes you feel really lucky to call this country home.”
To learn more about Tourism WA’s leadership team, please click here.