Women in Travel (CIC), the social enterprise dedicated to empowering women through employability and entrepreneurship in the travel industry, will host two thought-provoking talks over two days at this year’s World Travel Market.
The first session, titled ‘Céline Cousteau on the Transformative Power of Travel for Women’, will see Women in Travel’s founder Alessandra Alsono interview Céline Cousteau on Monday 4th November 2019. Céline Cousteau is a frequent panelist at the United Nations in New York and is also the granddaughter of Jacques Cousteau, the famous pioneering explorer of the seas. During the talk, which will take place at the Americas Inspiration Zone from 2:00pm – 2:45pm, Céline will discuss her travels and share in-depth insights into the transformative power of travel on women in the communities she has visited. The session is sponsored by the Treadright Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that helps to ensure communities that are visited remain preserved for generations to come.

On Tuesday 5th November 2019, Women in Travel will host a panel discussion titled ‘How Can We Use Travel and Tourism to Stimulate Women Empowerment and Gender Equity in the African Continent’. The talk will take place in the African Inspiration Stage from 1:30pm – 2:15pm and will be moderated by Alessandra Alonso. During the seminar, issues such as how to encourage greater participation of African women in the travel sector will be discussed with panelists, who will include Sthembiso Dlamini, COO and acting CEO at  South African Tourism; Abigail Mbalo, Head Chef and Founder of 4Roomed eKasi Culture; Zina Bencheikh, Regional General Manager EMEA at Peak DMC; and Amelia Diaz, Tourism Development Specialist at the International Trade Centre.

Following the panel event, Women in Travel will host a debate sponsored by the University of Surrey in collaboration with Women in e-Travel titled ‘Technology is a Girl’s Best Friend’ at the South Gallery rooms 20 and 21 from 3:30pm – 6pm. A group mentoring session will follow the debate, and those interested in taking part can register here: bit.ly/MentoringWIT.

Speaking about Women in Travel’s attendance at this year’s WTM, Alessandra Alonso, the Founder of Women in Travel (CIC) said: “We are delighted to be hosting three events at this year’s World Travel Market, and are looking forward to interviewing Céline Cousteau on her travels around the globe and gaining knowledge on her work. We are also excited to be showcasing influential women in Africa’s travel industry, who will discuss key topics such as how travel and tourism can stimulate women empowerment in Africa.”

For further information on Women In Travel, visit www.womenintravelcic.com.

ENDS

NOTE TO EDITORS
Image Captions:
Image 1: Céline Cousteau, explorer, activist and Treadright ambassador.
Image 2: Women in Travel (CIC) logo.
Image 3: Alessandra Alonso, founder of Women in Travel (CIC).

About Women in Travel
Women in Travel (CIC) started life as a gender focused platform at World Travel Market flagship event in London, in 2014. Growing successfully from then onwards, in 2017 it was incorporated as a social enterprise dedicated to empowering women through employability and entrepreneurship in Travel Tourism and Hospitality. Its vision is to become a catalyst for sustainability by placing women at the heart of an industry which is inherently attractive to females and growing at a fast pace. It is the brain-child of Alessandra Alonso, who has been recognised as a trail-blazer when it comes to gender diversity in the industry and who has supported women in maximising their opportunity in the travel, tourism and hospitality (TTH) industry for well over a decade, originally through Shine & the Shine Awards. Women in Travel partners with employers to provide the first Women Returners service through which the industry can access a pool of marginalised but often highly skilled women who are eager to get back to work. Women in Travel also runs entrepreneurship focused events, mentoring and networking supporting start up and early stage female entrepreneurs and those wanting to start a business, particularly of BAME background.

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