Durban — The National Women in Tourism Board will be to advocating and lobbying for the empowerment and inspiration of women in the travel, hospitality and tourism industry during the Africa Travel Indaba (ATI) at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (ICC) on Monday.
National Women in Tourism (NWIT) is an initiative that was launched in 2017 by the Department of Tourism in South Africa.
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Women in Tourism chapter chairperson, Makhosi Msimango said the NWIT’s main objective was to create an enabling environment for women owned businesses to thrive through recognition, representation, respect, and being rewarded within the tourism value chain.
“Our aim is to empower, transform, and develop sustainable women leaders within the tourism and hospitality industry by promoting gender equality and the advancement of women and youth.
“NWIT is a platform for networking and for enabling women in tourism to share knowledge and experiences through different support programs and mentorship opportunities both nationally and internationally. We have representation in all nine provinces across South Africa with products ranging from hotels, guest lodges, tour operators, tourist guides, attractions and travel agencies that are owned and managed by women,” said Msimango.
She said this year was significant for the NWIT as it will be exhibiting in collaboration with PMP Germ Guard under the theme, ‘Responsible Tourism & Sustainability’.
She said the groundbreaking collaboration will increase the visibility of the chapters through having all nine provincial chairpersons being present at the exhibition stand.
“The NWIT is 10 years old. We are ecstatic with how far and how much ground we have covered to ensure we advocate and lobby for women, for young women to stay empowered. With that being said, there is always room for improvement as our industry has continued changing trends which makes it a must for us to constantly be improving,” she said.
“We also aim to get the attention of the government, State Owned Enterprises (SOE), departments and relevant stakeholders’ commitment and confidence in the NWIT (showing)that we have the power to bring economic empowerment for women in tourism, and that it is high time we are given a seat at the table,” she said.
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