Caribbean Tourism Organization, March 8, 2024
Women’s leadership in the tourism industry is not just about representation; it’s about leveraging and benefiting from diverse perspectives. As we know, diversity builds strength and reinforces sustainability. So, women in leadership is an essential element for any organization seeking to thrive and flourish.
Traditionally, the Caribbean has seen remarkable contributions from women throughout the tourism landscape. Even before more women ascended to higher offices in the tourism sector, they exercised enormous influence on the development of the visitor industry with their valuable, often unrecognized, contributions to the development of modern Caribbean tourism.
Tourism is about people and their wants and needs – areas where women’s sensitivity and experience were often undervalued when compared to the more traditional corporate approaches of the sector’s policy and decision-makers. Today women are taking their rightful places at the top tables of our region’s major bread-earner with many destination tourism authorities and ministries now led by women.
But there’s still much to do to ensure women are empowered to lead and innovate. Recognizing and nurturing female talent, providing mentorship, and ensuring equal opportunities are essential steps toward a more inclusive and dynamic tourism sector. Empowering women to become entrepreneurs within the tourism space is a pivotal stride towards enriching the industry with innovative ideas and diverse business models, ensuring a broader spectrum of opportunities and experiences for tourists and stakeholders alike.
I am personally committed to supporting and advocating for women’s leadership and advancement within our vibrant industry. We cannot advance meaningfully without the solid contributions of women.
We also want to do more to leverage our Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress program to cultivate the next generation of women and youth leaders. The talent pool in the Caribbean is so impressive, and we stand to benefit by nurturing and valuing these resources.
There is so much we can do to embrace initiatives that create an inclusive and supportive professional environment for women at all stages of their careers. Setting up a recruitment platform exclusively to attract and train women for higher responsibility or designing mentorship and training programs for women who are returning from maternity breaks or resuming their corporate careers after taking a break are two such examples we ought to explore.
It’s our Day, ladies, so let’s come up with bold ideas and projects that can take shape and be implemented by the next time we celebrate International Women’s Day!
About the Caribbean Tourism Organization
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), headquartered in Barbados, is the Caribbean’s tourism development agency, comprising membership of the region’s finest countries and territories, including Dutch-, English- and French-speaking, as well as a range of private sector allied members. The CTO’s vision is to position the Caribbean as the most desirable, year-round, warm-weather destination, and its purpose is Leading Sustainable Tourism – One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean.
Among the benefits to its members, the organization provides specialized support and technical assistance in sustainable tourism development, marketing, communications, advocacy, human resource development, event planning & execution, and research and information technology.
The CTO’s headquarters is at Baobab Tower, Warrens, St. Michael, Barbados BB 22026.
Tel: (246) 427-5242; Email: CTObarbados@caribtourism.com
For more information about the Caribbean Tourism Organization, visit www.OneCaribbean.org and follow the CTO on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn to be part of the conversation.
