Eco Destination Management Services

Placement organization

Name of organization: Eco Destination Management Services
Town/city: Oranjestad
Country: Nederlandse Antillen
Website: http://www.ecodms.com

Name of student: Raysa Ashby

Specialist area: ITTI
Placement period: 2016-2017

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Destination Management Company
Organization’s activities: – Jeep safari tours
-ATV/UTV tours
-Horseback riding
-Shopping adventures
-Dine around
-Island exploration tours
-Golf
Segway tours
-Bike tours

-Snorkeling adventures
-Kayak tours
-Sunset sail
Deep sea fishing
-Windsurfing
-Kite surfing

Just to mention a few.
Target group of the organization: MICE
Company culture: Eco DMS has a functional organizational structure, where each department of the organization works towards their goal. There is an accounting department, operations department, production department and sales department. Besides the organizational structure, withing the office it is very casual and informal
Number of employees: 20
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? I am currently in the Sales department. However, I started my internship in the Operations department.
Brief description of your daily activities: Daily activities include office duty, land tours, and aquatic tours

While being in the office, we prepare the day by day which is the program for the client which indicates all the activities for the period they are on the island. Besides the day by day, we need to make sure all transportation for pick up and drop off at the airport is blocked and booked before hand.

On the other hand, we have the land tours and aquatic tours, which are listed below:
– Jeep safari tours
-ATV/UTV tours
-Horseback riding
-Shopping adventures
-Dine around
-Island exploration tours
-Golf
Segway tours
-Bike tours

-Snorkeling adventures
-Kayak tours
-Sunset sail
Deep sea fishing
-Windsurfing
-Kite surfing

Just to mention a few.
Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment is updating the strategic plan of Eco DMS, where company goals, swot analysis, competitive analysis, and advantages etc are listed.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I started my internship in the operations department, where I had a supervisor. Now I am in the sales department and I have another supervisor. Even though I have a supervisor, I try to always take initiative and help around before I am asked to assist.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, flexible, team player, stress-proof, patience
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, MS Powerpoint, MS Publisher, MS Excel
English: Intermediate
Spanish: Basic
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Myself
How did you go to work every day? Car

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Depends on your nationality
Do you need a work permit? Dependes on your nationality
How did you arrange the necessary documents: I didn’t need any documents as I have Dutch nationality
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? –
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance? –

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? English is important

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 800
Accommodation (monthly): € –
Local transport (monthly): € –
General costs of living (monthly): € –
Costs of visa: € –
Costs of work permit: € –
What did the company pay for/to you? Financial compensation, I also received cash for car fuel

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I was born in Aruba, so didn’t have to prepare for the country’s culture
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: ashby.raysa@gmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: It is important to take weather into consideration as it is completely different from the Netherlands. It’s sunny all year round and can get very hot!

The bus system is pretty solid on the island, with a major line running up and down the main beaches.However, It’s very easy to drive in aruba, so it is recommended to rent a car to have the freedom to explore the island.

DO explore the islaand, enjoy the beaches, have fun!

Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: -Movies
-Nightlife
-Beach
-Shopping
-Eating out
-Sport

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link