My business career

Horst Gennert

Since 1961, after successful training as a travel agent, tourist experience in travel agencies, with airlines and tour operators. 35 years of responsible work in the management of a tour operator specializing in the destinations Canada and the USA, with a focus on sales and product management. In the last few years, increased activity in the development and support of Internet presences and company-specific databases as well as in the cross-media area.

Especially intensively I have traveled the region of the „US Heartlands“ (Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri) and built up tourist relations. I have accompanied groups to the USA and Canada and, among other things, have crossed the continent 8 times by rail and have been able to experience the „Indian Summer“ in eastern Canada several times.

During the last cruise of MS COLUMBUS in September 2011 on the Great Lakes (Hapag Lloyd handed over the ship to Plantours in May 2012) I was able to deepen my knowledge of the region. Other destinations I know from personal travels: Germany, Austria, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Vietnam, Cambodia, South America with Cape Horn and the Caribbean.

After retirement, I have also been allowed to lead groups as a freelancer for leading travel operators through the uniquely beautiful regions of South-East Asia (including China, Vietnam and Cambodia). As a German-speaking tour guide, I have looked after German-speaking guests on English-speaking ships, advised them and accompanied them on shore excursions.

On meanwhile more than 600 sea days on cruise ships I got to know among other things a large part of the fleet of HOLLAND AMERICA LINE and crossed the Atlantic and accompanied on nearly 200 days guests and around South America and up to the Antarctic. Furthermore, the ships of CELEBRITY CRUISES and ROYAL CARIBBEAN and CUNARD are known to me from my tour guiding experience, among others, on Pacific crossings. I have guided groups along the eastern coasts of the USA and Canada. During several passages through the Panama Canal I completed my private photo and film archive. I was able to use my digital presentation about the passage through the Panama Canal in trip preparations and also in presentations to guests on board. On several voyages with the ships of the HURTIGRUTEN I was able to show travelers the unique coastal region of Norway. On the QUEEN MARY 2 I was allowed to lead several groups across the North Atlantic and in Europe.

Not to forget to mention that I have guided groups on the QUEEN MARY 2 during her transatlantic- and european cruises. Also I had the chance to show tourists the cultural most interesting region of Vietnam and Cambodia.

Since 2010 I have been working independently in the field of tourist services, project support and tour guiding for leading tour operators also on English-speaking ships. Modern communication facilities such as telephone, cell phone and fast DSL internet access are available. Very good conditions for effective and worldwide connections to external web databases and server.

In Namibia 2008 (Photo by U. Gennert)
In Namibia 2008 (Photo by U. Gennert)
Horst Gennert presents an officer's hat of the Hamburg-Police to an RCMP officer in Calgary. The hat was provided by the Hamburg-Police public-realtions office. (Photo by Thorsten Ehrenberg)
Horst Gennert presents an officer’s hat of the Hamburg-Police to an RCMP officer in Calgary. The hat was provided by the Hamburg-Police public-realtions office. (Photo by Thorsten Ehrenberg)