Destination marketers and tourism leads love to talk about “authenticity.” Leaders encourage people to bring their whole selves to work, to be real, human, and relatable. Then someone actually does—and suddenly the room gets uncomfortable.
That tension sits at the heart of a recent Fortune article featuring former U.S. Secret Service agent Evy Poumpouras, whose career spanned high-stakes protection details and crisis leadership. Her message is refreshingly blunt: authenticity is not an excuse for sloppiness, emotional dumping, or abandoning professionalism. The article isn’t about tourism, but the lessons land squarely in the middle of our industry.
Poumpouras draws a sharp line between being authentic and being unfiltered. As she explains, “Authenticity doesn’t mean you show up emotionally raw and unprepared. It means you know who you are, you regulate yourself, and you show up with intention.”
Tourism professionals live at the intersection of emotion, experience, and service. Frontline staff absorb stress from visitors, coworkers, weather, delays, and expectations—all while being asked to smile, empathize, and solve problems in real time. Authenticity here doesn’t mean venting frustrations at the front desk or unloading burnout on a guest. It means understanding your emotional state, managing it skillfully, and still delivering a warm, human interaction.
This is emotional intelligence in practice: recognizing feelings without letting them take over.
One of the most resonant ideas in the article is that professionalism has been unfairly rebranded as “fake.” Poumpouras pushes back hard on that notion, noting that discipline and standards are not acts of deception—they are acts of respect.
Tourism depends on trust. Visitors trust that the experience they were promised will be delivered with care, competence, and consistency. Communities trust that tourism professionals represent their place with pride and accuracy. When standards slip in the name of being “real,” that trust erodes quickly.
In destination marketing organizations, attractions, hotels, and tour operations, professionalism is what allows authenticity to scale. It creates a shared language for quality, safety, and inclusion.
Poumpouras emphasizes that high-pressure environments demand leaders who can regulate themselves before attempting to lead others. That idea is especially relevant in tourism, where peak seasons, staffing shortages, and public scrutiny are constants rather than exceptions.
A stressed leader sets the emotional tone for an entire team. So does a calm one. Training that helps tourism leaders practice self-regulation—pausing before reacting, choosing language carefully, and responding rather than exploding—has ripple effects across visitor experience, employee retention, and community perception.
This is one reason adult learning works best when it incorporates reflection, scenario-based practice, and real-world application, rather than relying solely on checklists and scripts.
Another subtle but powerful lesson from the article is that boundaries are not barriers. They are guardrails. Knowing what belongs in a workplace—and what doesn’t—creates psychological safety for teams and clarity for guests.
In tourism, boundaries protect everyone involved. They allow frontline staff to be friendly without being overwhelmed, empathetic without being drained, and helpful without being taken advantage of. They also help organizations maintain consistent brand voice and service standards across diverse personalities and roles.
Authenticity inside healthy boundaries is sustainable. Without boundaries, burnout isn’t a risk—it’s a guarantee.
Tourism doesn’t just sell places. It sells trust, stories, and human connection. That makes soft skills—communication, emotional intelligence, professionalism—core competencies, not “nice to have” extras.
Authenticity Without the Mess: Why Professionalism Still Matters in Tourism
, we see again and again that the most effective tourism training helps people understand how to show up, not just what to do. Courses that explore self-awareness, values, and professionalism alongside destination knowledge create more confident staff, stronger community advocates, and better visitor experiences.
Authenticity done well is powerful. Done poorly, it’s chaos. The difference lies in intention, training, and practice.
Source: Evy Poumpouras interview, Fortune: “Workplace authenticity doesn’t mean sloppiness” (Fortune.com)
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Learn Tourism is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the tourism industry through innovative educational practices and professional development initiatives. Our mission is to harness the power of science, business psychology, and adult education to build sustainable economies and enrich the tourism landscape. Visit us at learntourism.org.