Ingo Janowski

What’s the difference between a tourist and a traveller? It’s a distinction that’s very important to Ingo Janowski. The well-travelled student has explored many countries including Japan, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, the United States, Spain, Greece, the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea and China, but it’s Australia where he feels most fulfilled.

This is Ingo’s third stay in Australia and with the extensive workout he’s given his passport over the years it’s not surprising that he’s studying tourism here – a PhD in tourism at Griffith University. The shy boy who once dreamed of being a policeman had never envisaged life beyond his native Germany until he began to travel, a pursuit that not only broadened his mind, but was also the catalyst for a new found confidence and maturity. It was also responsible for his keen interest in photography, a hobby that has begun to pay commercial dividends. And while Ingo’s future may be as uncertain as the tourism industry thanks to the current global pandemic, the one thing he knows for sure is that the Gold Coast is exactly where he wants to be.