Social enterprise Women in Travel CIC has announced the winners of its inaugural International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum (IWTTF) Awards, which celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.
The IWTTF Awards reception was a sell-out event and was hosted by Expedia in a top-floor, balcony event space in Angel, London.
Reflecting Women in Travel CIC’s core pillars of leadership, talent & recruitment, allyship and diversity, equity and inclusion, the award categories recognised both businesses and individuals for their awareness, achievements, initiatives and progress in the DEI space.
The winners were as follows:
DEI Champion – Company: Contiki
DEI Champion – Individual: Kanchana Gamage, The Aviatrix Project
Allyship – Company: KOTO (Know One Teach One)
Allyship – Individual: Stuart Greif, Forbes Travel Guide
Talent and Recruitment – Best DEI in Talent & Recruitment Initiative: Unseen Tours
Talent and Recruitment – Individual Diverse Talent Recruiter: Chris King, Lightning Travel Recruitment
Woman Leader within a Company: Sonal Patel, Audley Travel
Woman Leader – Entrepreneur or Founder: Nena Chaletzos, Luxtripper
Judges included leaders and thinkers from across the industry, from big brand names such as Intrepid and Google, to industry associations such as ITT Future You and BTA, recruitment companies such as Gail Kenny Recruitment, media representatives from Skift and Luxury Travel Advisor, and academic establishments such as the University of Surrey.
Each was carefully selected and assigned to an appropriate category to ensure integrity and relevant expertise across the board.
Alessandra Alonso, founder and managing director of Women in Travel CIC and IWTTF said: “The IWTTF Awards are all about shining a light on the great work that is taking place within the DEI space in the travel industry. I was so excited and proud to come together in this fabulous space at Expedia to recognise and celebrate all of our deserving winners and finalists.
“I encourage people to reach out to them and ask them what they are doing and how they approach their work, people and clients from a DEI perspective, so that together we can learn and work towards creating a more diverse, equal and inclusive travel industry for all.”
The Awards are a new addition to IWTTF 2023, which also includes a day of industry-leading sessions and conversations on a range of topics from neurodiversity and how the climate crisis is impacting women to removing barriers to entrepreneurship through DEI.
More Information
There is more information on IWTTF on the official website.