IIPT April 2016 Newsletter

IIPT India Conducts First Global Awards for Empowered Women in Tourism at ITB

From the IIPT archive. This issue was first published as an IIPT e-Newsletter on iipt.org in April 2016. It is reproduced here with its original photographs; event details are as they stood at the time.

In association with UNWTO and ITB Berlin, IIPT India conducted the first Global Awards for Empowered Women in Tourism this past month at ITB Berlin, under the title “Celebrating Her.”

Five exceptional women from across the world, including one from India, were honored at the award ceremony, where Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), delivered the keynote address and Mr. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary for Tourism, Govt. of India, was the Guest of Honour. The entire event was coordinated and moderated by Anita Mendiratta, author and international consultant on tourism, Special Advisor to the Secretary General of UNWTO and member of the IIPT India Advisory Council.

Anita Mendiratta opened the proceedings with the comment that this was the perfect time for the awards, as the world had celebrated Women’s Day just a couple of days earlier. IIPT India, she stated, firmly believes that the empowerment of women and an enhancement of the feminine principle in the industry would not only contribute positively to the tourism experience but would also contribute significantly to realizing IIPT’s vision of Peace through Tourism. The awards recognized and celebrated women who have contributed to this vision, and who have not only empowered themselves but continue to empower other women as well.

In her welcome address, Rika Jean-François, CSR Commissioner for ITB Berlin, said that one of the major parts of CSR is gender equality, which has often been neglected. “There are so many women in the backyard of tourism that never have a chance to be in the spotlight, in spite of being the backbone of the industry. These awards for the first time provide a platform for their empowerment and encouragement.” ITB, she said, is happy to partner with IIPT India in this initiative and would like to do so next year as well.

Ajay Prakash, President, IIPT India, paid a special tribute to Dr. Louis D’Amore, visionary President of IIPT, who founded the International Institute for Peace through Tourism 30 years ago on two very simple but powerful premises: that tourism, the world’s largest industry, could become the first global peace industry, and that every tourist is potentially an Ambassador for Peace.

Women and children, he added, were the first and worst victims of conflict, but “Celebrating Her” was about empowering more women to attain positions of power and get into decision-making roles, by acknowledging and celebrating women who have come through and made a difference in our chosen field, travel and tourism, and by holding up such women as achievers and projecting them as role models for other young women to empower themselves.

Mr. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary for Tourism, Govt. of India, in his address commended IIPT India for this important initiative and thanked UNWTO and ITB for their support to the IIPT India awards. He reminded the audience that India has long had a tradition of reverence for women: many goddesses are worshipped and even the rivers are named after goddesses. He then went on to recount the steps taken by the Indian government to support and empower women, from women-oriented policies and schemes to free education and scholarships for girl students, to mandating at least one woman Director on a company’s Board of Directors, and concluded that women are the embodiment of peace and have an important role to play in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Dr. Taleb Rifai Presents the First IIPT India “Celebrating Her” Global Awards

In his keynote address, Dr. Taleb Rifai spoke at length on the situation of women within the industry. He acknowledged and thanked the award winners for their efforts to make the world a better place. He congratulated IIPT India and ITB Berlin for taking up the issue of gender equality and celebrating women, and said that UNWTO was proud to be associated with the awards.

“For tourism to make a meaningful contribution to peace, the challenges of gender equality and ensuring women’s empowerment must form a crucial part of tourism policy and strategy,” said Dr. Rifai. “Tourism is the largest employer of women. It employs twice as many women as the services or production sectors. However it still has failed to tap the true potential of women, which remains under-utilized, under-recognized, under-paid, under-exposed to education and under-represented in leadership roles.” Women, who comprise 50% or more of the global population, account for 62–64% of the workforce in tourism, but constitute a mere 17% in leadership roles and earn 10–15% less than their male counterparts in identical positions, according to UN studies and statistics.

“It’s not just an issue of rights but it makes eminent business sense to promote women, as women contribute hugely to the growth and quality of tourism economics,” he said.

Gender equality, continued Dr. Rifai, is at the forefront of UN policy. Referring to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, which was unanimously approved by the UN General Assembly, he said that governments must respect what they have signed. He quoted Article 2 of the Code: “Tourism activities must respect the equality of men and women; they should promote human rights and more particularly the individual rights of the most vulnerable groups…”

He concluded by congratulating IIPT India and ITB Berlin and urged all present to make a conscious effort to recognize and celebrate the role of women in tourism: “Not because they are better,” he said, “but because they are equal.”

The five award winners were called by Anita Mendiratta to receive their awards at the hands of Dr. Taleb Rifai, Mr. Vinod Zutshi, Ms. Rika Jean-François, Mr. Ajay Prakash and Mr. Kiran Yadav, Vice President, IIPT India. The award winners:

• Dr. Nicole Häusler, Consultant for Responsible Tourism, Myanmar, for Community Based Tourism
• Ms. Aileen Clemente, President of Rajah Travel, Philippines, for Tourism and Peace
• Dr. Dietlind von Laßberg, Vice Chairwoman of the Institute for Tourism & Development, Germany, for Tourism Education
• Ms. Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability, TUI Group, UK, for Tourism Sustainability
• Ms. Valsa Nair Singh, Tourism Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra, for Innovation in Tourism

At the end of the day, said Prakash, there would be ten exceptional individuals who had received the IIPT India Award for Empowered Women in Tourism: five Indian women who were awarded in September 2015 and five global leaders who were being awarded today. The idea, he said, was to create a network of these powerful women so that they could interact with each other and multiply their effectiveness tenfold as IIPT’s Ambassadors of Peace.

Mr. Kiran Yadav, Vice President, IIPT India, delivered the vote of thanks. He thanked Skål International, PATA, WTTC and ICTP for their help and support and expressed the hope that the IIPT Awards would be back next year at ITB Berlin in a bigger and better way.

Cassie De Pecol Arrives in Her 100th Country as an IIPT Ambassador for Peace

Cassie De Pecol has arrived in Montreal, Canada, the 100th country on her ‘Expedition 196’ as an IIPT Ambassador for Peace. Cassie has now been to 100 countries since her departure on 24 July 2015, in her attempt to become the first documented woman to travel to all 196 sovereign nations in less than three years, to set a Guinness World Record, and to become the first woman and youngest person to do so.

Cassie is traveling as an IIPT Ambassador for Peace, promoting the role of tourism in peace and sustainability. Skål International, the world’s largest organization of travel and tourism executives, has been partnering in Expedition 196 by arranging for Presidents of Skål national organizations to meet Cassie on her arrival in each of their respective 87 countries and organizing her program while in their countries, particularly the opportunity to address university students of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Cassie has also been planting peace trees and collecting water samples for the Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation project, to then test for microplastics.

Cassie’s most recent visits have been to Palestine, Israel and Jordan. While in Palestine, Cassie was the guest of Bethlehem University, where she had the opportunity to meet with faculty and staff of the University, tour the campus, and address senior students of the Hotel and Tourism Management program. The University also graciously hosted Cassie to a luncheon with Mr. Hassan Costantini, a senior official of the University, and members of the Hotel Management faculty. The lunch was prepared by students of the University’s HOTM program.

IIPT is grateful to Mr. Hani Abu Dayyeh, Trustee of Bethlehem University, for facilitating Cassie’s visit to Bethlehem University and for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality extended to Cassie during her visit.

From Palestine, Cassie proceeded to Israel, where she was hosted by Skål Israel executive Yaacov Hartman and Dr. Alon Gelbman, Head, Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee. Cassie was given the opportunity to meet the President of Kinneret College, address the students of the Tourism and Hotel Management program, tour the college campus, and take a field trip around the Sea of Galilee. Also assisting in preparations for the trip was Skål International President, Uzi Yalon.

From Israel, Cassie crossed over to Jordan, where she was hosted by Hani Suleiman, Skål Jordan, together with the City of Amman and the Jordan Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. While in Jordan, Cassie met with H.E. Akel Biltaji, Mayor of Amman and IIPT International Advisory Board member, addressed the tourism students of the Mashrek International School, and had the opportunity to tour Petra and the Dead Sea.

Cassie is now headed for Dallas, Texas, and the Summit of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

IIPT President to Speak at World Expeditions’ Responsible Travel Symposium in Toronto

IIPT Founder and President Louis D’Amore will be a featured speaker at the World Expeditions Responsible Travel Symposium in Toronto on 19 April. The theme of the symposium, being organized by Donna Lawrence, Responsible Travel Manager of World Expeditions Group, is: Learn how to be a Responsible Traveler.

Donna has been pivotal in establishing the responsible travel initiatives in place at World Expeditions. She is passionate about building awareness and bringing about change to protect the environments, people and animals that enrich our travel experiences. Donna is an advocate for World Expeditions’ 10 Pieces litter collection program, a program that relies on the collective power of many individual travelers to keep our mountain environments litter-free.

World Expeditions is one of the world’s leading adventure travel companies, offering sustainable small-group adventure holidays, which began with its first trekking holiday in Nepal in 1975. Today, with offices around the globe, they offer more than 500 stand-alone itineraries with a strong focus on responsible and ethical travel. World Expeditions are IIPT Coalition Partners and help promote the Credo of the Peaceful Traveler.

World Expeditions’ partners in responsible travel are coming together at this one event to discuss some of the hottest topics in travel, including:

• World Animal Protection: Animal Welfare in Tourism
• Leave No Trace: Minimizing your Impact in Wilderness Areas
• Climate Friendly: Mitigating Your Air Travel Emissions
• World Expeditions: 10 Pieces, a litter collection initiative
• International Institute for Peace Through Tourism: Traveling as an Ambassador for Peace
• International Porter Protection Group: Fair Trekking: the Importance of Ensuring Porter Safety in Mountain Adventure Travel
• Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC): Responsible Outdoor Clothes and Gear

Each fact-filled 10-minute presentation presents the problem and, most importantly, provides the solution. Participants in the symposium will be able to quiz the experts during the Q&A session.

IIPT Again a Proud Partner in the Olympic Truce Campaign 2016

IIPT is proud to be a partner in the global campaign promoting the 2016 Olympic Truce (‘Ekecheiria’). The campaign, being led by Gordon Sillence, DestiNet, builds on a historic UN resolution calling for a global truce during the period of the Olympic Games.

The tradition of the Olympic Truce dates back to 776 BC, on the occasion of the first recorded Olympic Games in ancient Greece. City-states decided to cease all warfare and endorse the Truce, thus sending a message of peace and fair play. During the Truce, athletes, artists and their families, as well as ordinary pilgrims, could travel in total safety to participate in or attend the Olympic Games and return afterwards to their respective countries.

Since its revival in 1992, it has received formal endorsement from the UN and been adopted by 190 UN member states, making it one of the most widely supported resolutions in the history of the UN. The Olympic Truce has a demonstrated history of helping to further dialogue and understanding, providing a valuable window of opportunity to work towards the peaceful resolution of conflict. The 2016 Olympic Truce Campaign once again calls upon humanity to lay down its weapons and to work towards building the foundations of peace, mutual respect, understanding and reconciliation.

The UN Resolution of 20 October 2015, Sport for Development and Peace: Building a Peaceful and Better World through Sport and the Olympic Ideal, calls on member States to observe the Olympic Truce individually and collectively, within the framework of the Charter of the United Nations, throughout the period from the seventh day before the start of the XXXI Olympic Summer Games until the seventh day following the end of the XV Paralympic Summer Games, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

IIPT Founder to Serve as International Honorary Chair of the African Diaspora World Tourism Awards

IIPT Founder and President Dr. Louis D’Amore will serve as an International Honorary Chair of the African Diaspora World Tourism Awards (ADWT Awards) ceremony, set to take place on 26–28 August 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He joins several other top tourism professionals from around the world who have endorsed the awards event by serving as chair. Through D’Amore, IIPT will help as a strategic partner in presenting the ADWT Awards event.

Dr. D’Amore stated: “IIPT is proud to be a strategic partner in the African Diaspora World Tourism Awards. As an Honorary Chair, I will fully support our good friend and colleague, Kitty Pope, in again achieving the highly successful outcomes realized in the historic inaugural ADWT Awards.”