Joy in Growing Together and Looking Toward a Fresh Season

I've noticed, specifically over the last month or so, that travel and hospitality marketing is back in full swing. And wow, I'm blown away by the incredible work that all of you and your teams have done to make sure these campaigns are relevant, relatable, exciting and resonating with every single generation. You've so clearly heard all of your consumers' needs, wants and dreams over these last couple of years and turned the hard times into positive, refreshing, exciting, inclusive campaigns that I obviously cannot get enough of! 

Speaking of exciting, I wanted to wish you all a happy official spring! I'm from the Northeast and absolutely love the seasons. For me, the transition from winter to spring has the most refreshing impact. It’s a new beginning, and it feels that way for where the travel and hospitality industry is right now as well. The healing of these hard years is beginning to happen. Women Leading Travel & Hospitality saw that at our in-person event in New York City last month and at our bimonthly members peer group that we hosted last week.

There's still a journey ahead of us, but I'm confident that the industry will be more than OK with this group of amazing women leading the way. I'm also confident that we need more women leaders like yourselves at the helm. Although it was incredible for everyone to take a day to celebrate International Women’s Day a couple of weeks ago, many agreed on the peer group call this month that there's a lot more work to be done.

The UN defined this year’s International Women’s Day theme as “gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow” to recognize the contribution of women and girls around the world who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation, mitigation and response to build a more sustainable future for all. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future and an equal future remains beyond our reach. We're happy to announce that we're hosting our next Virtual Exchange on May 12, with a panel dedicated to hearing from sustainability leaders from across the industry who are already making an impact. 

We also discussed the importance of male allyship and of getting everyone involved in the discussion of gender parity and diversity. To that point, we're hosting a session on male allyship. This virtual event is complimentary and we would love for you and your teams (men and women) to join us. 

We have an exciting year ahead of us filled with in-person and virtual events, research reports and content, and so much more. We look forward to continuing to connect with, unite, inspire and empower each and every one of you as we go!