For the fourth consecutive year ITB Berlin will play host to the International Institute for Peace – India’s (IIPT India) Global Awards for Empowered Women in Tourism – “Celebrating Her.”
The IIPTI Global Awards, “Celebrating Her” are intended to acknowledge and felicitate exceptional women in the fields of travel, tourism and hospitality; individuals with a clarity of vision and mission who understand and believe that tourism, perhaps the biggest industry in the world, could become the first global peace industry and who have committed themselves to fostering the tourism business as a vehicle for peace.
Five exceptional women from the world of tourism will be felicitated at the 4th edition of the Awards for their achievements and for their contribution to promoting tourism as a vehicle for peace and understanding.
IIPT Founder and President, Louis D’Amore stated: “IIPT has recognized the instrumental role of woman as global leaders from its very beginnings with its First Global Conference: Tourism – A Vital Force for Peace, Vancouver 1988. That event featured H.E. Vigdis Finnbogadottir, then President of Iceland and the world’s first elected woman Head of State as Honorary Chairperson of IIPT’s First Global Conference. President Vigdis gained world prominence as host of the 1986 Reykjavik Summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev
D’Amore continued: “The IIPT Vancouver Conference first introduced the concept of Sustainable Tourism as well as a transformative new paradigm for a ‘Higher Purpose of Tourism.’ The recognition of woman leaders continued with IIPT’s Second Global Conference in Montreal: Building a Sustainable World through Tourism, with Queen Noor of Jordan as Honorary Chairperson. The Montreal Conference was the first international conference on sustainable tourism and instrumental in paving the way for the World Bank’s recognition of tourism as a key industry for poverty reduction and sustainable economic development in developing countries.”
Celebrating Her awards instituted by IIPT India in 2016 carry forward our belief in gender equality and empowerment of women.
The Awards will be held from 1400 to 1500 at the Palais am Funkturm (Hall 19) on the ITB fairgrounds on Thu 07 March and will be followed by a networking reception from 1500 to 1530. Key speakers at the awards include Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General UNWTO (2010 – 2017), H.E. Eliza Reid, First Lady of Iceland, The Hon. Marie-Christine Stephenson, Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries, Haiti and others.
Anita Mendiratta, Founder & President CACHET Consulting, Special Advisor to UNWTO Secretary General and IIPT India Advisor will moderate and conduct the event.
The Celebrating Her award winners for 2019 are:
H.E. Rania al Mashat – Minister of Tourism for Egypt for Tourism Policy and Leadership
H.E Elena Kountoura – Minister of Tourism for Greece for Tourism Strategy and Resilience
Helen Marano – Founder & President, Maranao Perspectives for Building Global Alliances that promote Tourism as a Force for Good
Mechtild Maurer – General Director, ECPAT Germany for promoting Socially Responsible Tourism
Jane Madden – Managing Partner, Global Sustainability & Social Impact, FINN Partners for Sustainability and promoting Corporate Social Responsibility
Commenting on the Awards, Ajay Prakash, President of IIPT India says, “Each one of our winners this year is a champion; these ladies have reached the top of their chosen paths in tourism and are an inspiration. The Awards are being held on the eve of International Women’s Day but our champions need to be felicitated every day of the year.
Gender equality, which is a critical part of the United Nations SDGs, is intrinsic to IIPT’s global aims and objectives and integral to fostering peace. Through the Awards we’re aiming to create a network of powerful women across the world who would serve as role models and mentors while they represent IIPT as our Global Ambassadors of Peace.”
Dr. Taleb Rifai, Secretary General UNWTO (2010 – 2017) and Chair of IIPT’s International Advisory Board says, “Celebrating Her is a timely initiative. Travel and tourism has become today’s grand human activity, greatly affecting the life and livelihood of people and communities and in turn, Peace and Sustainable Development all over the world.
Leaders in travel and tourism should be the first to recognize that we cannot any more go about life, progress, development and building peace without HER and without reintegrating half of the human community in advancing towards our goals. It is, therefore, only natural that IIPT India, the country that is standing up bravely to achieving our goals, picks up the issue on behalf of all of us – To state clearly that, CELEBRATING HER IS CELEBRATING US”
Rika Jean-Francois, CSR Commissioner for ITB Berlin – co presenters of the Awards, said “ ITB is extremely delighted to have partnered with IIPT India to give out these important awards. There are so many amazing women in the tourism industry who are doing an excellent job, committed to improve conditions, who are often never seen, never officially recognized. We are proud to foster change.”
About IIPT:
Founded in 1986 by Louis D’Amore, IIPT is built on two very simple but powerful premises: That tourism, perhaps the biggest industry in the world, can become the first global Peace Industry and that every tourist is potentially an Ambassador of Peace. Through global summits, conferences, workshops, awards, the global Peace Parks initiative, consultations with governments and the UNWTO and a regular newsletter, IIPT has worked conscientiously over the last 30 plus years to make peace an integral part of the tourism ecosphere.
IIPT India is non-profit registered with the Indian Registrar of Companies.
Congratulations to Louis D’Amore and the IIPT for the wonderful work they are doing to support and bring communities together one community at a time. I think that this organisation is a wonderful way to share information, to motivate and to bring hope to many whom the tourism machinery has left behind. It is one way of encouraging inclusiveness and participation on the road to understanding and accepting the diversity within humanity and in this way to bring about peace. Keep up the good work.