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Recognising excellence in commitment to gender equality in tourism and hospitality internationally.
Celebrate your success
Recognise the hard work of your team, praising their innovation and dedication to addressing gender equality.
Gain a competitive edge
Showcase your organisation as one that is leading the way towards the industry’s sustainability goals.
Create global change
Set an industry example for ways in which organisations can support gender equality in the workplace.
Is your tourism or hospitality organisation making remarkable strides towards gender equality in its policies, practices and culture?
Apply now for Gender Equality Champion of the Year 2025 and celebrate the positive impact you’re creating.
An esteemed panel of renowned gender and tourism experts will carefully evaluate submissions, with the winner announced at 2.15pm on 6th March 2025, on ITB Berlin’s LGBTQ+ Tourism Pavilion Stage.
Entries are open to organisations of all sizes, anywhere in the world. Please submit your application by 27th January 2025 to be considered.
The Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award is an internationally recognised honour within the tourism and hospitality industries. It’s bestowed upon organisations that demonstrate excellence in their commitment to gender equality.
Launched in 2022, the Award acknowledges leaders in gender equality and showcases their exceptional practices, facilitating their adoption and enhancement throughout the sector. The aim is to promote progress and encourage more firms to integrate gender equality into their policies and practices.
The only one of its kind on a global platform, the Award is a tribute to those in the industry who are pioneering the way towards a more gender-balanced world. All former champions and runners-up set a shining example for others looking to carve out an equitable, responsible industry.
Winners will follow in the footsteps of 2023 winner Travel Excellence and our two 2024 champions – Eternal Landscapes Mongolia and the Accor Brazil Embrace Program.
Eternal Landscapes Mongolia is a social enterprise tour operator, leading tailor-made tours that benefit local projects, people and communities.
Since its beginnings in 2010, the company has been steadfast in promoting gender equality and empowering women in Mongolia’s tourism sector. They create employment and training opportunities for women from outside the industry, helping them become guides and benefit from local tourism.
A training programme builds skills, confidence and knowledge, benefitting the guides both professionally and personally. Looking ahead, Eternal Landscapes aims to create a community-based centre where they can formalise and further develop this programme.
Collaborations with international women-only tour operators also further enhance the skills and career prospects of female team members.
The Accor Brazil Embrace Program is an initiative run by the hotel group’s gender diversity and equality network, RiiSE, in partnership with non-profit Bem Querer Mulher.
They launched the programme during the Covid-19 pandemic, a period in which violence against women skyrocketed. The Embrace Program supports survivors of domestic violence all over Brazil, turning Accor hotels into places of safety and opportunity.
Women and their children are offered accommodation, as well as psychological support, social reintegration and professional training. Through the Accor Academy, they’re prepared for a career in hospitality.
Since 2020, the programme has hosted more than 500 women, 700 children and offered almost 6,000 room nights in Accor hotels.
We’re delighted the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance will sponsor the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award for a third year in 2025.
The Alliance drives collaborative action to enable the hospitality industry to have a lasting positive impact on the planet and its people. By working with CEOs and C-suite representatives from across the hospitality industry, alongside strategic partners, they are able to implement strategic action worldwide to create a prosperous and responsible hospitality sector that gives back to the destination more than it takes.
Their members have a reach of 7 million rooms and include world-leading hotel companies as well as regional brands.
For the 2025 edition of the award, we welcome Sojern’s ‘SoEmpowered’ group as sponsors – one of the world-leading travel marketing platform’s many peer-to-peer network groups celebrating employee cultures and giving back to the community.
SoEmpowered is geared towards the support, development and empowerment of those who identify as women. It’s a place of openness and inclusion, where diverse perspectives are heard and valued.
“Inspiration ignites change, and as we proudly sponsor the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award for the second year, we embrace the opportunity to celebrate organisations that embody the spirit of progress. In our collective journey towards Net Positive Hospitality, let us acknowledge and honour those who prioritise gender equality. This award not only illuminates best practices but also serves as a catalyst, propelling the hospitality sector towards a future where fairness and inclusivity are the cornerstone of excellence.”
Glenn Mandziuk
CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
Want to know more about the Award or becoming a sponsor? Email jaklien@equalityintourism.org.
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