Social enterprise Women in Travel (CIC) has partnered with World Travel Market London to host a series of webinars on race, risk and diversity in the travel industry.
The first panel will be hosted by Jamie-Lee Abtar, executive director of BAME Women In Travel, at 2pm on September 10.
It will focus on the concept of allyship – the practice of emphasising social justice, inclusion, and human rights – as the driving force for diversity and inclusion in the travel and tourism industry.
The panel will be Uwern Jong, editor-in-chief of Out There magazine; Eulanda Osagiede, founder of Hey! Dip Your Toes In; writer Alex Temblador; Roberto Balasco, direct sales manager for Celebrity Cruises; and Bex Shapiro, senior editorial manager at Intrepid Travel.
The panel will discuss how employers can cultivate a sense of belonging for employees and provide practical examples from the travel industry.
The session will also draw on BAME Women in Travel’s work in assisting black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women in the travel and tourism industry to fulfil their economic and individual potential through customised training and mentoring.
More: WTM predicts ‘almost all’ countries to attend live or virtual events
Women in Travel offers free back-to-work mentoring
BAME Women in Travel launches corporate partnerships
Women in Travel will also host two virtual webinars during the inaugural WTM Virtual event in November.
The first session will feature Women in Travel founder Alessandra Alonso, who will risks related to travel safety in light of Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The second webinar hosted by BAME Women in Travel will discuss racial risk.
Women in Travel will also offer live mentoring sessions to foster support for women and help develop their entrepreneurial and employment goals.
Furthermore, Women in Travel publish content about fostering inclusion in the travel industry on the WTM Global Hub blog.
Abtar said: “Allyship is the driving force for encouraging diversity and inclusion in the travel and tourism industry, so working closely with WTM London to promote this offers a fantastic opportunity for BAME Women in Travel to publicly foster greater inclusion for the black, Asian, and minority ethnic community in this sector.”
Alonso added: “Through teaming up with WTM London, a formidable travel industry ally, Women in Travel aims to empower women by educating both men and women across the industry of the importance of acting as an ally and promoting allyship in order to drive change, and to ensure that travel organisations attract, recruit, retain and develop BAME and diverse talent.”