Rising Star: TravAllianceMedia Hot List of Rising Travel Industry Talent, Travel Pulse 2013
"Carla Denisse Portalanza Zambrano: The Ecuador Ministry of Tourism could have no more professional, talented and effective official than Zambrano, the agency’s 33-year-old undersecretary of tourism promotion. Carla has been instrumental in establishing new public policies for the development of tourism promotion in Ecuador, which has seen a 10.3 percent growth in arrivals between 2011 and 2012. Her accomplishments include the establishment of the “Ecuador Love Life” brand positioning in more than 12 countries. She has also helped to produce more than 55 events promoting Ecuador in 21 key countries. Arrivals to Ecuador have grown by 10.3 percent.Born in the coastal city of Guayaquil, Carla holds a bachelor’s degree in tourism from the Polytechnic School of the Coast and a master’s degree in management policy and strategy for tourism destinations from the Open
University of Catalonia. She has also completed post-graduate marketing courses in Belgium, Spain and Taiwan."
Marketing and Communication, Tourism, Arts, Government, Leadership
Tourism Development Specialist
Carla Portalanza is an ecuadorian tourism expert passionate about the development of her country through tourism. She has 15 years of experience in marketing and public relations for the promotion of tourism destinations. She has a BA in Tourism and a Master's in Tourism Policy and Strategy from the University of Catalonia in Spain. She is also a specialist in both strategic marketing and event management. Currently, she is pursuing a second graduate degree in her field at the George Washington University, School of Business. Before joining the Embassy of Ecuador in Washington, D.C. as Cultural and Press Attaché, Carla spent around 9 years at the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism, where she held various managerial roles to ultimately become Undersecretary of Tourism Promotion, where she was instrumental in developing Ecuador’s promotion strategies to position as a world-class tourism destination.
BA in Tourism, Escuela Superior Politécnica del LitoralMaster in Policy and Strategy for the Development of Tourism Destinations, Universidad Oberta de CatalunyaMaster in Tourism Administration with concentration in Sustainable Tourism Management, George Washington UniversityInternational Certificate in Strategic Marketing Direction, Tecnológico de MonterreyInternational Ceritificate in Innovate Marketing, Tecnológico de Monterrey
Embassy of Ecuador to the United States
