Five leading women in the international tourism sector will have their achievements honoured at the IIPT Global Awards for Empowered Women in Tourism next week.
Now in their fourth year, the annual awards ceremony will be hosted at international trade show ITB in Berlin.
The “Celebrating Her” awards were established by the not-for-profit International Institute for Peace through Tourism – India (IIPTI) to acknowledge exceptional women in the fields of travel, tourism and hospitality.
This year’s recipients are:
Her Excellency Rania al Mashat, minister of tourism, for Egypt for tourism policy and leadership.
Her Excellency Elena Kountoura, minister of tourism for Greece, for tourism strategy and resilience.
Helen Marano, founder and president of Maranao Perspectives, for building global alliances that promote tourism as a force for good.
Mechtild Maurer, general director, ECPAT Germany, for promoting socially responsible tourism.
Jane Madden, managing partner, global sustainability and social impact, at FINN partners, for sustainability and promoting corporate social responsibility.
The awards will be held from 2pm to 3pm at the Palais am Funkturm (Hall 19) on the ITB fairgrounds on March 7 followed by a networking reception.
IIPT said the awards are given to individuals with a clarity of vision and mission who understand and believe that tourism could become the first global peace industry and who have committed themselves to fostering the tourism business as a vehicle for peace.
Key speakers at the awards will include Dr Taleb Rifai, former secretary general of UNWTO Her Excellency Eliza Reid, first lady of Iceland and The Honourbale Marie-Christine Stephenson, Haiti minister of tourism and creative industries.
Ajay Prakash, IIPT India president, said: £Each one of our winners this year is a champion. These ladies have reached the top of their chosen paths in tourism and are an inspiration.
“The Awards are being held on the eve of International Women’s Day but our champions need to be felicitated every day of the year.
“Gender equality is intrinsic to IIPT’s global aims and objectives and integral to fostering peace.
“Through the Awards we’re aiming to create a network of powerful women across the world who would serve as role models and mentors while they represent IIPT as our Global Ambassadors of Peace.”
Dr Rifai, who is also chairman of IIPT’s International Advisory Board, added: “Celebrating Her is a timely initiative.
“Travel and tourism has become today’s grand human activity, greatly affecting the life and livelihood of people and communities and in turn, Peace and Sustainable Development all over the world.
“Leaders in travel and tourism should be the first to recognize that we cannot any more go about life, progress, development and building peace without reintegrating half of the human community in advancing towards our goals.
“It is, therefore, only natural that IIPT India, the country that is standing up bravely to achieving our goals, picks up the issue on behalf of all of us. Celebrating Her is celebrating us.”
Rika Jean-Francois, CSR Commissioner for ITB Berlin, a co-presenter of the awards, said: “ ITB is extremely delighted to have partnered with IIPT India to give out these important awards.
“There are so many amazing women in the tourism industry who are doing an excellent job, committed to improve conditions, who are often never seen, never officially recognised. We are proud to foster change.”
IIPT was founded in 1986 by Louis D’Amore as a driving force for global peace through tourism.
It runs global summits, conferences, workshops and collaborates with governments and the UNWTO to make peace an integral part of the tourism ecosphere.