As a consultant and manager, Kirsi Hyvaerinen is focused on sustainable tourism, capacity building, organizational changes, product diversification in new and developed destinations, branding and marketing.

Kirsi has worked at the intersection of destinations, associations, non-governmental organizations, small and medium enterprises, international development agencies, and local and national governments since the mid-90s. It supports their joint development from master planning to operational excellence, as well as market access to new nature-based tourism products.

Before founding her own company in Montenegro in 2013, Kirsi worked as B2B marketing for Latin American destinations and small and medium-sized enterprises (1995-1998), then as regional DMO director in the Black Forest, supporting the new development of rural, active, and cultural tourism.

In her role as senior advisor (2006 – 2013) of the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro, she worked closely with the ministry, management, and the NTO team, connecting with hundreds of domestic and international stakeholders and partners.

In her former position as a travel, leisure, and tourism specialist at KPMG Consulting (later BearingPoint), Kirsi worked from 2001 to 2008. with a diverse range of clients, from leading travel technology providers to emerging destinations.

Today, she is the co-founder and partner of ITB Advisory, as well as the head of the Travel Massive Montenegro branch. Since 2018, he has been on the Board of Directors of the Global Ecotourism Network.

In education and research, Kirsi is a regular guest lecturer at European universities specializing in sustainable development, tourism management, and marketing. Under her project management since 2003, the VDR Business Travel Report Germany provides representative facts and trends on professional mobility.

Of Finnish origin, Kirsi loves nature and conservation is close to her heart. She graduated in business administration (tourism management and marketing) at the University of Heilbronn in Germany.