Natalie Tenzer-Silva Creating Unforgettable Itineraries for Travellers, Residents, and Guests
N
atalie Tenzer-Silva, Director of Dana Tours Lda, has worked in the tourism industry since 1994 first managing a large travel agency and then becoming Mozambique’s largest inbound tour operator. Her language skills and capacity as a team leader have earned respect within Dana Tours, the Mozambican business community, and the Government being a member of the Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee. She spends her spare time with her husband and two boys. How did Natalie start her journey? Natalie was born in South Africa and moved to Mozambique in the early 90s where she learned Portuguese. “In 1993 I followed my husband to Mozambique as he embarked on what was meant to be a 2-year work contract. Although he was ready to leave after that contract ended, I was extremely happy living in Maputo and convinced him to stay. I found an amazing job in the travel industry, working for one of the largest IATA agencies at the time. After 8 years of managing the Travel Agency, I felt the need for change, and a chance meeting with someone in 2002 led me to enter a joint venture with my bosses to create a Mozambique Inbound Operator and DMC June 2023 | GlobalBiz Outlook
(Destination Management Company). I didn’t realize at that point how my career path would be reshaped,” says Natalie. “Mozambique tourism was just budding at the time, having only recently recovered from an almost 20-year civil war. I realized how privileged I was, living in such a unique and beautiful country, with a vast coastline, immense geography, and wonderful people,” Natalie continues. Surrounded by a positive and motivated team Although there were less than a handful of tourist attractions in the country at that time, some travelers were eager to venture into this relatively unknown part of Southern Africa. Dana Tours began with only Natalie and one other employee and grew to a 21-staff complement pre-Covid. During Covid, it was devastating to let staff go, but what was inspiring her was that everyone who left said they would come back in a heartbeat if the economic situation improved. They had a buddy system during those dreadful years, where each person was responsible for checking on the well-being of a colleague regularly. There is always a good spirit in the office. The staff often play music and laugh a lot and Natalie values the positive atmosphere.
37
