Volunteer-Led Women in Travel Thrive Initiative Aims to Reduce Career Regression

Image: A group of women smile at the camera. (photo via  iStock / Getty Images Plus /  Ridofranz)
Image: A group of women smile at the camera. (photo via iStock / Getty Images Plus / Ridofranz)
Lacey Pfalz
by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:00 AM ET, Thu December 10, 2020

Women in Travel Thrive is an initiative created by women from the travel industry who volunteer their time and effort to help empower other women who work in the travel industry.

The initiative focuses on reducing career regression in women due to the impacts of COVID-19 and increasing the representation of women in leadership roles across the travel and hospitality industries. It offers free access to mentorship, professional development and networking opportunities.

Women in Travel Thrive will host a virtual event called Women in Travel Thrive's Inaugural Day of Impact, where mentees will be connected with their mentors and learn about resources to help them maintain and grow their careers in the travel industry. It will be held January 26-28, 2021. To register, visit WomenInTravelThrive.com.

"It is estimated that women's jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable to this crisis than men's jobs and, for women in travel, the job losses and long-term risk for career regression are immense," said Silvia Camarota, senior director of North America market management lodging at Expedia Group, a founding member of Women in Travel Thrive.

"None of us could sit back and watch our roles and representation in leadership suffer amid the COVID-19 crisis, so we decided to do something about it. In just a few months, we have built a community where women are each other's greatest champions and the connections we are making will undoubtedly ensure women not only achieve their potential but also secure their future in the travel industry."

Some founding members include Dorothy Dowling, chief marketing officer and senior vice president at Best Western Hotels & Resorts, and Melissa Maher, senior vice president of marketing and industry engagement at Expedia Group.


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Lacey Pfalz

Lacey Pfalz

Senior Editor, News & Features

Lacey Pfalz is Associate Editor at TravelPulse. She's a passionate advocate of responsible travel and believes the best travel experiences happen outside of a planned itinerary. Lacey currently lives in rural Wisconsin. She can be reached at [email protected].

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