Bradley Escorcio, Thomas Cook; Laura Town, Cottages.com;
Darren Hutton, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd; Liz Cairns, Flight Centre; and Carrie Grant, Kuoni were all honoured for their work in boosting inclusivity within their companies and the industry at large.
MORE: Shortlist for Travel Pride Champions revealed
Escorcio initiated the Thomas Cook Pride campaign, supporting retail stores with training materials. He also created the Thomas Cook rainbow logo and was behind the introduction of LGBT+ friendly holiday pages on the company’s website.
Town was described as a “passionate LGBT ally”, raising awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, from both a commercial and cultural organisation perspective.
Hutton heads up an LGBT+ employee resource group to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues and build a safe environment for employees to be who they are. He also spearheaded the creation of RCCL’s very own Pride meeting room.
Cairns was instrumental in Flight Centre’s support for Brighton Pride – the first time Flight Centre had taken part in a Pride event. She also launched a global LGBTQ group to encourage networking and support for our LGBTQ staff across the world.
Meanwhile Grant is a founder member of Kuoni’s LGBT Expert scheme and has continued to take a lead within the business to champion diversity and support others in the 320-strong retail team learn how they can continue to improve services for same-sex couples.
Sophie Griffiths, editor of TTG and founder of TTG LGBT said: “We were genuinely bowled over by the incredible work of these first Travel Pride Champions and how they have endeavoured to change attitudes and encourage companies to fully embrace diversity. They are a real inspiration to others across the travel sector.”
