Why do a Virtual Tourism Internship at Solimar International?

Solimar International is a sustainable tourism consulting and marketing firm that works in emerging destinations to stimulate economic growth and conserve natural resources and cultural heritage. Each spring, summer, and fall, we welcome a cohort of new interns to our team to embark on a 12-week learning program! Our interns join us from a variety of backgrounds: first year undergraduates, MBA students, parents, mid-career professionals, hotel operators, writers, marketers, etc.! We are continuously amazed by the passionate, internationally-minded individuals who join our team. Could that be you?

Here are eight reasons why you should join our virtual team and embark on a remote sustainable tourism internship with Solimar International: 

1. Gain real insight into the sustainable tourism world

Embarking on a remote internship with Solimar gives you a chance to gain insight into the world of sustainable tourism. If this is an industry that you are interested in pursuing a career in, this internship is a perfect place to get your foot in the door. During your internship, you will receive an in-depth understanding of how this industry works through weekly learning presentations and hands-on project work. Over the course of the 12-week internship, you will gain an understanding of the international development sector and how tourism can positively impact a country’s economy, while simultaneously conserving and protecting the environment and local culture. 

2. Work on Real Development Projects

Solimar International has projects in diverse countries all over the world. If you undertook an internship at Solimar, you would have the chance to learn about different countries’ cultures and history. Furthermore, interns can submit which projects they would be interested in working on. Your interests, career goals, and regional experience are carefully considered by Solimar, and assignments are allocated accordingly. Projects interns have worked on previously include: 

• Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail with the United States National Park Service
• USAID Timor Leste Tourism for All
• Sugar River Region, New Hampshire
• USAID Visit Tunisia
• USAID Liberia Conservation Works Activity
• USAID Bangladesh Ecotourism and Conservation Alliance
• USAID Climate Change Adaptation Activity – Maldives and Sri Lanka

Suppose you are assigned to assisting the USAID Liberia project, for example. In that case, you would learn about the country’s creation as a settlement for the formerly enslaved sent from the United States or the country’s best-surfing destinations. After the conclusion of your internship, you will be well versed in the project you were assigned with Solimar. In addition, you will learn about every other project during the weekly meetings, taking you around the world from the comfort of your home. 

3. Work 100% remotely (the freedom of flexibility)!

There are no geographic limitations to work for Solimar – our interns have joined us from six different continents! Remote working will give you the freedom to create your own schedule! At Solimar, interns are expected to work 15-20 hours per week for 12 weeks. This flexibility means that many previous interns at Solimar have pursued other opportunities alongside their internship in sustainable tourism. For example, some interns attend college, write dissertations, work, travel, and volunteer simultaneously during their training. In fact, at Solimar, we encourage you to pursue interests that are conducive to your career path and overall life enjoyment. 

Additionally, Solimar gives interns flexibility during holidays and exam seasons, understanding the importance of a healthy work-life balance. Working with Solimar, you will have plenty of time to spend with your family and friends, and to work on assignments for university or college. Moreover, suppose you cannot attend a weekly meeting due to personal or professional obligations. In that case, you should not hesitate to contact a member of the Solimar team to inform them of your absence. Solimar understands that life is unpredictable, so as long as you contribute to the team and complete your tasks on time, you will make a great addition to Solimar. 

4. Build tourism industry skills that allow you to stand out to employers 

Although this virtual internship is unpaid, completing an internship with Solimar gives you great opportunities to learn new skills and further enhance the talent you already possess. At Solimar, you are assigned to work with a team member who is a leading figure in the sustainable tourism industry. In addition, working closely with your team leader offers you the chance to receive weekly feedback on the work you produce for Solimar. Skills you could add to your CV after your internship include: 

• Content Development
• Copywriting and Editing
• Social Media Curation
• SEO Strategies
• Press Release writing
• Strategic outreach
• Research 
• Effective Communication
• Critical Thinking 
• Working with Asana, Slack, WordPress, Microsoft Word
• Other skills depending on your assigned project: Interviewing, Photo Sourcing, Report Drafting

5. Get your writing published

Working with Solimar gives you the exceptional opportunity to get your writing published. After you are assigned a development project to work on, you will research the unique culture and history of the country and develop blog and social media post ideas to work on throughout your internship. After that, you will curate blog posts at a pace you and your team leader agreed upon. Once the editing and feedback process has been completed, these blogs will be published on your project’s destination and tourism websites. Furthermore, you will see the impact of your publication through social media likes, shares, and analytics. 

Furthermore, you will be given the opportunity to write and edit blogs specifically for the Solimar International website. Solimar encourages you to choose the blog topic you are most interested in. Blog topics may include writing about the blue economy, ecotourism, sustainability, pescatourism, and so on. At Solimar, the team encourages you to focus on areas you could use to your advantage when pursuing future career opportunities.

6. Learn from one-on-one exposure to leading experts in the tourism industry

Furthermore, during the weekly group meetings, you will learn from one-on-one exposure to industry experts. For example, Matthew Humke, Director of Social Enterprise at Solimar, has twenty years of experience in the tourism industry and frequently gives presentations during weekly meetings. In addition, Chloe King, Director of Conservation and Community Development at Solimar, is a passionate marine conservationist and social scientist. King has worlds of expertise that she shares with the interns weekly. Many fantastic minds work at Solimar and are always excited to share their knowledge with interns. Click here to learn more about who you would work with during your internship with Solimar. 

The opportunity to work with these experts in sustainable tourism, content development, and marketing will make you stand out to future employers, as you will leave your internship equipped with the knowledge to undertake a variety of career paths. The wheel above demonstrates the many skills you will develop during your time with Solimar. If you are interested in a specific aspect of sustainable tourism or content development, the leaders at Solimar take your interests very seriously and will ensure you learn about an area that would be conducive to your future career. 

At Solimar, we care about developing our interns’ skills for future career prospects. As such, The entire team at Solimar has created an incredibly encouraging work environment for you to thrive. For example, you will receive feedback on your work that highlights your strengths and offers opportunities to improve to the best of your ability. If you are unsure about any of the assigned tasks, do not hesitate to contact anyone on the Solimar team. Everyone is kind and would be happy to help you with any problems. 

7. Worldwide Networking

Solimar’s interns work virtually from all over the world. For example, in the summer 2022 cohort, the interns from Ireland, Poland, Italy, Georgia, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkey, and the United States. These interns came to Solimar with a unique perspective and skill set that they could share with their fellow interns. Often, interns will get the opportunity to work together on assignments. Working within a team is an invaluable way to network. In addition, the interns usually work full-time in the tourism industry after training with Solimar. Therefore, in the future, when you are looking for funding or project development opportunities, you could turn to the interns you worked alongside during your time with Solimar. 

Furthermore, when you inevitably travel to different countries in the future, you will most likely have someone to meet up with that worked at Solimar. Many career opportunities stem from casual conversations with people who work in the same industry you are interested in. Therefore, meeting other interns at Solimar will provide you with at least twenty new connections from around the world. 

Spring 2022 Remote Intern Cohort working with Solimar International

Am I eligible for the Solimar’s tourism internship?

Solimar International hires interns based on a set level of qualifications, skills, interests, and qualities. Scan through the list below to see if you are eligible to work as a virtual intern with Solimar. The general requirements we search for include: 

• A passion for sustainable tourism development
• An interest in marketing and communications
• Excellent proficiency in written and spoken English, including impeccable grammar and spelling
• A highly driven individual who is thorough, enthusiastic, and willing to jump into any given task
• Someone comfortable working remotely with digital tools
• Great attention to detail
• Someone with strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills

If you possess these qualities and skills, the Solimar team would be thrilled to receive an application from you for our virtual tourism internship program. 

Apply now for our next tourism internship cohort!

Interested in pursuing a sustainable tourism internship with Solimar International? Click the link to submit your Internship Application Form.

Upon submission, we will get back to you with a decision within two weeks. Email [email protected] if you have any further questions about the virtual internship with Solimar International.    

Blog by Hannah McDonnell, Summer 2022 Solimar International intern