Spotlight on Industry Rising Star Micaela Nardino
By Jonathan Trager
Despite standing 5’11—yet still being the shortest person in her family—Micaela Nardino says she’s been told she has “short girl energy,” which she channels into her work as a Special Projects Manager for Tourism Economics.
Having just been named a 2026 Rising Industry Professionals honoree by Destinations International, Nardino traces the start of her journey to the industry back to when she was 15 years old working at a Chinese Jazz restaurant (yes, you read that correctly) owned by her uncle. There, she gained customer-service experience that would benefit her in her career.
“I was a hostess there and it was so hard because you’re speaking into the phone while a band is playing,” she told USAE.
After enrolling at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, Nardino began her studies majoring in Environmental Science before shifting to Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. She also became an ambassador from the College of Natural Resources to students, alumni, and professors.
“It was the best experience,” Nardino said. “I still talk to my friends from that program. I met so many awesome professors through that.”
A credited internship in North Carolina’s Outer Banks during her junior year opened another door for Nardino: The company sponsoring the internship also had a fund that supported destination research at NC State and other North Carolina schools.
Under the supervision of Whitney Knollenberg, a professor at NC State, Nardino embarked on a project focused on sustainable tourism housing. Destination organizations such as those in Moab, Utah, and Gulf Shores, Alabama, were working with local governments and contractors to create affordable housing campuses for workers in the tourism sector.
The pair ultimately presented their research at the Visit NC Tourism Conference in Asheville.
“The point is, when you visit these destinations, you’re not going to enjoy it unless these people who can’t afford to work there are able to work there,” Nardino explained.
In 2023, Nardino applied for and received the Joan and John Markham Award offered by the Travel and Tourism Research Association. NC State flew Nardino out to Houston to attend the association’s Marketing Outlook Forum.
“I was there all alone because the professors couldn’t make it,” said Nardino. “I got to be a part of all of it and speak on my award and how excited I was to be in the industry.”
It was at this fateful event that Nardino met a contingent from Tourism Economics that included current Executive Vice President Erik Evjen and President Adam Sacks. Good conversations led to a dinner invitation, which led to a full-time job after graduation.
Nardino started with Tourism Economics as a project coordinator on a team of 11 people with Symphony, the data platform arm of Tourism Economics. Nearly three years later, the team has grown to 55. Nardino has worked in conjunction with data engineers and former destination organization marketers.
“I do a lot of translating data processing language into tourism language,” she said. “We work mostly with U.S. clients, and they’re so different but they face the same challenges. They’re connected in some way even though they market themselves very differently.”
With all of the advisory boards and committees that Destinations International has to offer, Nardino hopes being a Rising Industry Professionals honoree helps afford her the opportunity to step into one of those roles.
“I want to be more involved in tourism and help more destinations advocate for themselves,” she said. “This is an industry I want to work in for the rest of my life, and this is exactly the cohort I needed to be in to meet more people who have the same love for this industry.”