Raquel Durango (CEO of Stella Maris) is an example of multiculturalism: her mother fled her native Cuba in search of freedom and opportunity, and for that reason Raquel was born in Titusville, Florida, USA.
Why did you come to live in Spain?
It was really my parents’ decision. My mother was pregnant with me and wanted to have a child close to her own mother, since she hadn’t had that opportunity with my siblings. My father began looking for work there, but soon they realised the country was enormous and could move him anywhere, leaving us just as far from the family as if we stayed in Spain—and we would still be foreigners. So I was born there, and 40 days later we were already back in Spain to continue our life here.
Can someone truly feel part of three countries?
Yes, completely. I feel a very strong connection to the United States, the country where I was born, and to Spain, where I have lived my entire life. Both are part of who I am, and I feel great satisfaction belonging to both. And on top of that, I carry my Cuban roots with great pride. My Latin blood.
What do you have for Christmas dinner at home?
At home we’ve always had traditional Cuban Christmas food: black beans, ripe plantains, pork, rice, yuca… And an American salad recipe from my grandmother.
We all have a film that marks us in such a way that it shapes our professional life. Working Girl changed yours.
That’s right. I watched it when I was 16, just as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It was a difficult time because I had no clear idea about my future. I liked mathematics, physics—even financial mathematics with the idea of working in banking… but I was also drawn to the business world. When I saw that film, Melanie Griffith captivated me and made me imagine myself working in a large company, wearing sneakers with my heels in my bag and growing internally. It encouraged me to go into the business field.
When does “Melanie Griffith” enter the tourism industry?
After finishing my business studies, I did an internship in one of the largest travel agencies in Spain in the administrative area. I handled accounting, but I gradually started paying attention to how my colleagues organised business trips, how they spoke with clients… and that world started to hook me. Paperwork didn’t offer much conversation in the end, and what I like most about my job is personal interaction with clients. So I asked the company for a job change, and they trained me with Amadeus, Renfe, and other industry tools.
Working Girl becomes an entrepreneur—and now it has been 20 years.
After working in several travel agencies, I discovered that I could try to set up my own agency thanks to a friend who managed a large volume of people. I asked him, “If I start my agency, will you come with me?” He said yes. So I did it. Six months later I was organising my first major project: taking 6,000 people to Valencia for the World Meeting of Families with the Pope. It was a wonderful madness and gave us a great deal of recognition.
Stella Maris is a guide for sailors—a true declaration of intention for your agency.
Our motto is: “Let yourself be guided by a star.” And that is what I have always wanted—to be a guide for our clients.
More than 90% of your students’ destinations are islands or places across the ocean. Flights are the beginning and end of the educational programmes—and a major source of stress.
Most students begin their adventure with their flight, so their first experience depends on us. We know how important that experience is for them, as it is often their first trip abroad, they travel alone, they have to make a connection, and for parents it means being separated from their children for a long time—and we understand how hard that is. That’s why we want them to feel supported at all times: before, during, and after the trip. I’m a mother, so I understand parents’ concerns, and I know the travel industry, so I know, as you say, how stressful flights can be.
COVID showed the importance of travel agencies over online platforms when repatriating students.
COVID marked a before and after. It became very clear which agencies had everything automated and which ones truly worked with people. Machines couldn’t handle a crisis like that. We could. The pandemic brought us a lot of recognition because we were in charge of repatriating nearly 600 students from the Amancio Ortega Foundation. No one could take it on at that time, and we said yes. With the world paralysed, we managed to bring all of them back without incident in just five days. We began the process on a Monday, and by Friday they were already landing in Spain, and that same night almost all of them were sleeping in their homes.
For Stella Maris, it was a great personal pride to have been able to meet the challenge we were given without any incidents. It was hard work, but above all, human work. The world was terrified in the face of an unknown situation, with their loved ones thousands of kilometres away.
Bringing that joy to families—of reuniting without complications—has been one of the most important things I’ve done in my life.
Are there plans to expand to your native USA?
Yes. Before the pandemic I actually managed to set up an agency in the United States. Taking advantage of my dual nationality, I created an American agency, similar to Stella Maris. It was put on hold because of everything that happened, but it’s still there, ready to be resumed. It’s a market where many students want to learn Spanish or French, and I would love to work there as well.
This year I’ve also been offered a project to open an agency in Japan to work with students there too. It’s a very active market, and with a contact I have there, we are exploring the idea—which is very exciting for us. We’ll see…
What has been the impact of AI on the industry, and how do you imagine the future?
The future, with advances moving so quickly, is quite uncertain. What I firmly believe in is humanity—and that no matter how many advances AI brings, physical contact and personal interaction… that will not change. In fact, I believe that the more AI advances, the more people will seek closeness and look for what is authentic. We have spent 20 years helping students in all kinds of situations. A machine can have algorithms, but it does not have the human capacity to react to the unexpected the way we do. Human flexibility and creativity when facing difficulties will be hard to match—just like empathy and closeness.
Throughout history, humanity has invented countless devices, but the Starfish will always guide travellers.
And I hope for many years to come!
Interview conducted by Pablo Martínez de Velasco Astray, President of ASEPROCE.
