Karin Elgin-Nijhuis

Associate, The Netherlands

Karin Elgin-NijhuisExperience

From 1999 to 2003 Karin worked as an internet consultant and Head of Consultancy and Projects for the Information and Media Services Department of the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Congresses (NBTC). She was jointly responsible for the overall strategy, development and management of www.holland.com and for many city, regional and theme sites in the Netherlands. Karin then founded her own consultancy in 2004 focussing on (online) branding and communication and content strategy and planning. She worked with clients from a variety of tourism-related backgrounds, including tourist boards and SMEs in the Netherlands.

Core skills and qualifications

Karin read ancient history at Utrecht University (MA and Dutch equivalent of Post-Graduate Certificate of Education), and combined a university role with work in tourism. She trained as an internet developer and adviser. She followed courses in information strategy and e-commerce and has a MSc in corporate communication from the Rotterdam School of Management / Erasmus University.

Karin has co-authored the following UNWTO (and ETC) publications:

  • Evaluating and Improving Websites – The Destination Web Watch (2005)
  • Handbook on E-marketing for Tourism Destinations (2008)
  • Handbook on E-marketing for Tourism Destinations, Fully revised and extended edition (2014)

Specialisms

Karin is a specialist in (online) branding and communication and content strategy and planning. She co-developed the UNWTO-endorsed Destination Web Watch global audit and evaluation benchmarking scheme for Destination Management Organisation web activities.

Karin has been a member of committees and advisory panels of the European Commission, European Travel Commission and the International Institute for Information Design. She is a member of ICOMOS Netherlands and of IFITT (International Federation of IT and Travel& Tourism). She served IFITT as board member and co-chair of the ENTER 2004 and 2009 conferences in Cairo and Amsterdam. She currently organises and chairs the Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality, International Conferences.

Karin founded the Tourism StoryLAB® which is dedicated to the exchange and development of knowledge of narrative communication and the development of skills in storytelling and narrative management.