An InteleTravel agent who brought her baby to the company’s annual conference hopes that other mothers in the industry can follow her lead.
Fauzia Arif, of London, brought six-month-old Idris to this year’s event in Malaga, where the youngster proved “very popular”.
Arif said: “The whole idea of this agency is it’s a homeworking agency and the majority of members are women, so I knew it would be inclusive and it would be OK to bring my baby to learn more about travel and how to promote travel.”
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The locum GP, who joined InteleTravel in January, travelled to Spain last week with her husband and both children, knowing that if she was turned away from the conference then they could still enjoy their family holiday in Andalusia.
“I risked it by only notifying them [InteleTravel] about Idris when I got here,” said Arif, adding: “He’s still breastfed – I tried to wean him a week ago but it didn’t work.”
InteleTravel’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, Tricia Handley-Hughes, told Travel Weekly she was proud that the conference hosted a baby for the first time.
“I think it demonstrates that InteleTravel is truly inclusive of all communities,” said Handley-Hughes.
Idris was a “superstar” at the conference, according to his mother.
“It feels like I’ve never spoken to so many people,” said Arif, who added that other delegates voiced their support.
“Idris is a calm baby, which really helps. Any time he got a bit chatty or loud, I would go to the back, but most people have said I’ve done a great job and shown how we should be working,” said Arif, adding that she would “absolutely” encourage others to follow her example.
Arif’s business, Dr Travel Luxe, focuses on selling family holidays including trips to Disneyland.