Inspiring young Queenslanders to work and find success in the tourism industry

Alexandra Hendry

Airlie Beach

Growing up on the Gold Coast, Alexandra studied a degree in journalism and started her career in the Royal Australian Air Force in a variety of roles focused on marketing and communications.

Alexandra’s love of travel began while watching Getaway on television and thinking how cool it would be to get paid to travel the world. This became a reality in 2017 when she went to London and became a trip leader and sailing representative for Topdeck. In this exciting role, Alexandra lead groups of 18-39 year olds on trips through Europe, sharing history, culture, geography and current affairs in an engaging way and delivering excellent customer service across the camping, hostel, hotel and sailing product ranges.

Returning to Australia, Alexandra worked as the product manager for a luxury travel agency before following her passion for creating amazing experiences, taking up the role of guest experience manager for Journey Beyond. Alexandra’s initial role focused on the Ghan and Indian Pacific where she managed the guest experience, coordinated off-train excursions, managed front-of-house service delivery and trained and mentored staff.

In 2021, Journey Beyond promoted Alexandra to her current role of Cruise Whitsundays guest experience manager. She develops strategies for the guest experience across a range of sailing adventures, reef trips and cruises, and leads a team at Reefworld (Australia’s first underwater accommodation on the Great Barrier Reef) in delivering exceptional guest services. Alexandra is also responsible for designing and delivering training for guest interfacing staff.