TORONTO — Travel companies are saluting women and their incredible contributions to the travel industry on this International Women’s Day, 2022.
Airlines, hotel companies, tour operators and more highlighted what they’re doing to mark this important day, March 8.
Here’s a look …
AIR CANADA
Air Canada celebrated International Women’s Day by announcing the 2022 recipients of the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship, as the airline continues fostering the next generation of women in non-traditional aviation careers. The scholarship, named in honour of Air Canada’s trailblazing first female pilot, recognizes high-potential young women pursuing aviation and aerospace careers as commercial pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers and who may not have the financial means to do so. The 2022 honourees are Tanisha Galway, Winnie Ho, Alissa Stirling and Madeline Ungurain. Judy Cameron became the first female pilot hired by Air Canada in April 1978 at the age of 23.
G ADVENTURES
G Adventures has announced the appointment of 10 new female Chief Experience Officers (CEOs) in the Middle East and North Africa, to mark this 2022 International Women’s Day. The new CEOs are based in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Oman, marking the first time the global operator and community tourism pioneer has female tour leaders in all destinations in the MENA region.
Amira Majid, Chief Experience Officer (Jordan), G Adventures
“For me, having the opportunity to share my local knowledge and stories from different places in the world is the most beautiful part of being a Chief Experience Officer,” says one of the new hires, Maryam Hafez, Chief Experience Officer, Egypt. And Amira Majid – Chief Experience Officer, Jordan, adds: “My dear sisters, don’t let barriers stop you from reaching your goals. Splash out your inner power and focus on achieving your targets and dreams. Take strength from your knowledge and passion. We must believe in each other this International Women’s Day!”
ICELANDAIR
Icelandair has arranged for an all-female flight to take place today, in a long-standing tradition of the airline, dating back more than 20 years in honour of International Women’s Day. Flight FI528 departed Reykjavik (KEF) at 7:40 a.m., landing at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) at approximately 12:10 p.m. On International Women’s Day 1999, an all-female flight crew on an Icelandair international flight took off. This year’s flight will once again include an all-female staff, cabin crew, pilot, co-pilot, and gate agents.
Icelandiar notes that 10 years ago, there was only one woman of five Board Directors and the Executive Management team was exclusively male. Today, women represent 40% of the carrier’s Board of Directors, 33% of the Executive Management team (incorporating two new members starting shortly), 41% of other management positions and 40% of overall management positions. As part of IATA’s ‘25by2025’ equality project, Icelandair has set several goals towards gender equity, including an increase in the number of female pilot positions by 25%.
TRAFALGAR
In celebration of International Women’s Day 2022, Trafalgar has unveiled its Women’s Only travel tours with a range of itineraries created by women, for women. Female clients will travel with ease led by their expert, all-women team of Travel Directors and and Wellbeing Directors by their side.
Trafalgar will be offering 13 new guided tours and exclusive departures which were created by female team members with itineraries across Europe, the UK and the Middle East including Egypt and Jordan. Trips include the 11-day Italy Bellissimmo and the 10-day Highlights of Turkey. For more information see: www.trafalgar.com/en-ca/ways-to-go/womens-only-travel-tours
INTREPID TRAVEL
Intrepid Travel says it’s reimagining its popular Women’s Expeditions tour range, which has been on hiatus since the start of the pandemic. Not only will these trips include some of the signature experiences from past trips, according to Intrepid, they will also introduce new destinations, experiences, be led and hosted by new women, and seek to help support and empower communities that have been deeply affected by the pandemic.
After initially launching as a limited-edition range in 2018 with tours in Morocco, Jordan and Iran, the trips became some of the most popular in the company’s 30+ year history, prompting Intrepid to add tours in Turkey, Kenya, India and Nepal in 2019. Now in 2022, Intrepid will reintroduce them in countries that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. They include: the 12-day India Women’s Expedition (from US$1,060 per person); the 12-day Iran Women’s Expedition (from US$2,120 per person); the 8-day Jordan Women’s Expedition (from US$1390 per person); the 8-day Morocco Women’s Expedition (from US$1,040 per person); and the 8-day Peru Women’s Expedition (from US$1,390 per person). See https://www.intrepidtravel.com/womens-expeditions.
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
An all-female Brussels Airlines crew flight departed from Brussels Airport to Marseille today in celebration of International Women’s Day. Brussels Airlines says it is committed to diversity in all its departments, as diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making. In its top management, 37.5% of positions are held by women. On International Women’s Day, the company puts extra emphasis on the number of women and their roles in the organization. Under the theme ‘break the bias’, the company says it wants to encourage men and women to put aside prejudices about typically male or female professions.
Brussels Airlines’ all-female crew, March 8, 2022
MARRIOTT HOTELS OF CANADA
Three executives with Marriott Hotels of Canada took this opportunity, International Women’s Day, to share their perspectives.
Says Laura Pallotta – Regional Vice President, Sales and Distribution, Marriott Hotels of Canada: “I am excited about the work we are doing with women, particularly now as there has been an enormous impact on women through this pandemic. We have fostered support and career pathways through our Afternoons of Engagement where we discuss common issues women are facing today and how Marriott can support their career goals and planning.”
Roz Winegrad – Area Vice President of Owner and Franchise Services of Canada, says Marriott has been a leader in championing opportunities for women. “In Canada, we have led the Women Supporting Women initiative, which fosters a gathering of women leaders from within Marriott, and among hotel owners, university leaders, and industry leaders. The purpose of this gathering is to identify ways to promote women in hospitality.”
Brenda Rodricks, Area General Manager, Montreal for Marriott Hotels of Canada, had the honour of being the first woman President of the Montreal Hotel Association, and used that platform “to encourage women to pursue a career in this amazing industry.” Rodricks adds: “After joining Marriott, I was invited to be the first Canadian representative in 2011 with Marriott’s Diversity and Inclusion group. Through this, I learnt about and promoted all the various key initiatives to the Canadian market. Additionally, diversity and inclusion initiatives and events were supported by our Business Council which I had the opportunity and privilege of leading for seven years.”
CELEBRITY CRUISES
Celebrity Cruises has set an industry milestone on its way to gender parity — reaching 32% female bridge officers, an industry high. The cruise line made the announcement today. Celebrity is even changing its iconic global “X” logo to “XX” for 24 hours on its social channels, and projecting the “XX” logo onto Celebrity Beyond, in honour of the female chromosome, to celebrate this 2022 International Women’s Day.
Celebrity notes that it has a long history of championing gender equality in the traditionally male-dominated cruise industry, where just 2% of the world’s mariners are female. In 2015, the company appointed Captain Kate McCue as the first – and still only – American female ship captain. On International Women’s Day 2020, the first all-female bridge and officer team departed on a history-making, barrier-breaking Celebrity sailing. And in June 2021, Captain Kate led the Celebrity fleet – and the industry – back into operation when Celebrity Edge became the first cruise ship to sail with guests from a U.S. port in more than a year.
CONTIKI
Contiki is highlighting female-led community experiences that ‘Make Travel Matter’ in celebration of International Women’s Day 2022. In Jordan, where female unemployment is high, Contiki works with organizations such as The Iraq Al-Amir Women’s Cooperative, that aims to provide opportunities to combat employment disparity. Iraq Al-Amir was founded in 1993 by the Noor Al-Hussein Foundation, a non-profit founded by Queen Noor of Jordan. Its aim is to teach and equip Jordanian women with new skills, business opportunities and greater financial independence.
Iraq Al-Amir is not only managed and run by local women, says Contiki, it also has provided handicraft training to more than 150 women from local villages. These handicrafts are sold in the gift shop and online, to both provide income and help to preserve local heritage. This ripple effect of women helping women has begun to change the lives of many families and single women in Jordan, says the tour operator. To learn more about the women-led ‘Make Travel Matter’ experiences clients can take part in on-trip see www.contiki.com.
