BAME Women in Travel’s first virtual panel in partnership with WTM will be held on 10 September 2020 at 2pm and focus on the concept of allyship as the driving force for diversity and inclusion in the travel and tourism industry. 

Taking part will be Uwern Jong, editor in chief of Out There magazine; Eulanda Osagiede, founder of Hey! Dip Your Toes In; Alex Temblador, award-winning author; Roberto Balasco, Celebrity Cruises’ direct sales manager and Bex Shapiro, Intrepid Travel’s senior editorial manager. 

The panel will be hosted by Jamie-Lee Abtar, executive director of BAME Women In Travel, which is part of the social enterprise dedicated to empowering women through employability and entrepreneurship in the travel industry.

Abtar said: “Allyship is the driving force for encouraging diversity and inclusion in the travel and tourism industry, so working closely with WTM London to promote this offers a fantastic opportunity for BAME Women in Travel to publicly foster greater inclusion for the black, Asian, and minority ethnic community in this sector.”

The organisers added: “The panel will cover how employers can cultivate a sense of belonging for employees and will provide practical examples from the travel industry.”

“The session will also be drawing on BAME Women in Travel’s work in assisting black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women in the travel and tourism industry to fulfil their economic and individual potential through customised training and mentoring.”