Women in Travel CIC is announcing the international expansion of its signature event – the International Women in Travel & Tourism Forum (IWTTF) – with the launch of IWTTF Gulf.  IWTTF has become renowned for its carefully considered and progressive content on all aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion, and the event in Dubai on 19 November 2024 marks the growth of IWTTF into a truly international space.

IWTTF’s Founding Partner Intrepid Travel will continue the support that has been in place since its inception five years ago, and Google, who has hosted IWTTF in London for the last three years, will welcome IWTTF Gulf to its regional office in Dubai. Further support comes from DiamondAir International and Jumeirah, and Women in Travel CIC is actively seeking further sponsors to help bring this highly regarded event to a new region.

In its first year, IWTTF Gulf will be invitation-only, created as a networking and learning platform for travel industry individuals in the region. The content will reflect the values of Women in Travel CIC including Leadership, Talent and Recruitment, Allyship and DEI.

The announcement comes off the back of the success of the fifth IWTTF conference that took place in London in June 2024 to high praise across the board, with feedback citing it as “inspiring”, “a ‘who’s who’ of attendees with stellar content”, “amazing” and even “life-changing”. The sell-out event discussed issues such as accessible travel, celebrating midlife, diversifying product and the importance of inclusive leadership and allyship, and welcomed staff of all levels, from CEOs and executive leadership to entrepreneurs and career-starters.

In addition to the IWTTF and Google teams, the London event was facilitated by the current participants of Women in Travel’s ElevateHer programme, an initiative designed to train and mentor underserved and diverse women and ultimately connect them with employment opportunities in the travel and hospitality industries.

Alessandra Alonso, MD and Founder of Women in Travel and IWTTF, said: “Launching IWTTF Gulf is our first step towards becoming a truly international brand. We launched IWTTF five years ago as a platform for discussions around gender equity and DEI more broadly, discussions that are relevant to the travel industry all over the world. With our legacy and experience, and the support of our partners, we believe we are in a unique position to further develop these conversations within the travel community in the Gulf region.”

Marie De Ducla, Senior Lead for Travel, Retail & Consumer Goods, MENA, Google, added: “The travel industry plays an important role in many of the economies in the Middle East and North Africa, and we believe in the importance of inclusion driving growth. We’re excited to be working with IWTTF on this important initiative that will help more women lead and thrive in this dynamic industry.”

Zina Bencheikh, MD EMEA of Intrepid Travel, said: “As the Founding Sponsor of IWTTF, we are thrilled to see its growth into a new market, one where we know that the conversations will make a real difference. I have seen firsthand how tourism is opening up a new world for women in the Middle East, as it has in so many of the destinations we visit, and I look forward to seeing how the first IWTTF in the Gulf can help women to push boundaries and drive meaningful change, for themselves and future generations.”