Travel Pride was launched by TTG in 2017 to celebrate diversity in the travel industry and recognise the individuals leading the charge.
Welcoming people to Travel Pride, which this year saw a record number of attendees, Sophie Griffiths, editor of TTG and founder of TTG LGBT added: “Pride as we all know is of course a big party but it is also something more. This year we celebrated 50 years since the Stonewall Riots which kickstarted the LGBTQ liberation movement and the drive for equality.
"At TTG Media we are also passionate about the drive for equality and inclusivity within the travel industry – not only through our TTG LGBT initiative, but through our championing of young people in our 30 Under 30 programme; our push for gender equality through our partnership with everyWoman and our determination to push for greater diversity and inclusivity within the travel industry.
“Travel Pride is about celebrating all that – and all of you too, for being here and waving the flag for diversity with us.”
Six champions were named at Travel Pride in Shoreditch, London last night, out of a total of 15 shortlisted individuals.
The winners are:
• Sarah-Louise Maultsaid, Celebrity Cruises
• Lindsay Garvey-Jones, Holiday Extras
• Peter Vella, Malta Tourism Authority
• Nick Harding-McKay, Travel Designers
• Richard Tolley, American Express Centurion
• Fleur Stafford, Flight Centre
Speaking as he presented the Travel Pride Champions, TTG Media CEO Daniel Pearce said the awards were “recognition for the individuals in the travel industry who are really striving to improve the focus on diversity and inclusion in travel.
“I genuinely mean it when I say the TTG Media team really was bowled over by the incredible work of people throughout travel.”
The Travel Pride Champions of 2019:
Sarah Louise Maultsaid, PR & Partnerships Manager, UK & Ireland, Celebrity Cruises
Sarah Louise was praised for being an active member of RCL Cruises’ LGBT+ community and an advocate for diversity and inclusion within the travel sector. Driving forward the D&I agenda both internally and externally to wider audiences, she has been instrumental in shaping and launching three key strands of activity. Sarah Louise also helped in the creation of a training module on the line’s travel partner training portal focused on diversity and inclusion; helped launch rainbow lanyards for employees and created a Pride meeting room for Pride 2018.
Lindsay Garvey-Jones, partnerships development manager, Holiday Extras
Lindsay received a raft of entries, with one stating that she sets “an exceptional example throughout the trade when it comes to all things LGBT.” She has remained a consistent champion of D&I within the travel industry, suggesting initiatives for companies to incorporate to drive changes across their business, speaking publicly on conference panels about the issue and supporting younger female and LGBTQ people climbing the ladder in the travel industry.
Peter Vella, director UK and Ireland, Malta Tourism Authority
Peter is an ally that has put equality and LGBTQ tourism at the heart of his drive to represent his tourist board. He has led the way in sponsoring Brighton Pride as well as speaking publicly on the issue of LGBTQ tourism at various industry conferences and events. Through participation in key industry and consumer facing events, Peter has championed how little touches can help to change attitudes and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.
Nick Harding-McKay, managing director, Travel Designers
Nick a vocal advocate of equality and LGBTQ rights, publicly denouncing destinations with anti-LGBT laws and reaching out to industry colleagues to pull together and think twice about promoting travel to destinations with poor LGBT rights records.
Richard Tolley, Centurion team leader, American Express Centurion
Richard has demonstrated his passion for diversity and inclusivity through a huge range of initiatives, including becoming co-chair for the company’s Pride+ UK London LGBT+ Colleague Network, managing the company’s Global Pride+ intranet page and getting his firm involved with Pride in London for the first time. He was also named by American Express as a 2018 Diversity Champion by the company’s newly formed Diversity Council.
Fleur Stafford, Flight Centre
Fleur’s nominator said she had been “instrumental in forging Flight Centre’s partnership with Stonewall, effectively liaising with the charity to ensure our policies are inclusive for all LGBT people working with us. Fleur’s work with Stonewall, along with her determined promotion of the LGBT network within Flight Centre, has shone a light on other D&I strands within the business and the concerted effort required to address this challenge. Never complacent, Fleur recently garnered the full support of senior management to appoint a new D&I Champion.”
