President of Malta and Patron of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca delivered the opening speech at a masterclass about women in tourism leadership organised as part of the 5th Mediterranean Tourism Forum, with the theme 'Women as crucial contributors to peace by developing sustainable tourism strategies'.
During the speech, President Coleiro Preca announced the launch of the Mediterranean Women in Tourism and Hospitality Assembly—the MedWITH Assembly—a new chapter within the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation which will be dedicated to the advancement of women in the tourism and hospitality industries.
"I am confident that, with support from industry partners, the MedWITH Assembly will deliver innovative initiatives that promote leadership skills and development opportunities for talented women", the President said, whilst thanking Tony Zahra and Andrew Agius Muscat, together with their collaborators and the board of governors, for spearheading this initiative and for their vision in setting up the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation.
President Coleiro Preca said that as a woman of the Mediterranean, and as a UNWTO Ambassador for Sustainable Tourism, she can clearly see the importance of having this Mediterranean Women in Tourism and Hospitality Assembly, stating that it is vital "for us to keep highlighting the important role that women can, and do play, in order to make our peace-building efforts through the tourism sector more effective."
The President quoted an international study commissioned by UN Women, entitled 'The Global Report on Women in Tourism', which states that tourism is one of the world's largest generators of wealth and employment. This same report also states that tourism further provides a wide range of income-generation opportunities for women, particularly in developing regions.
The report, which was the one of the first of its kind to map out the participation of women in the global tourism sector, states that women are almost twice as likely to be employers in tourism, as compared to other sectors. The report continues to say that tourism also offers unprecedented leadership possibilities for women, with more women attaining the highest levels of executive representation—in their respective governments—in the area of tourism, than in any other sector.
The President also quoted another report issued by the United States Institute of Peace, which makes it clear that women are making essential contributions, across all levels of society, as agents for peaceful development. This report, entitled 'The Essential Role of Women in Peacebuilding', states that women in positions of authority, within their various sectors, are more likely focus on "reconciliation, economic development, education, and transitional justice", each of which is a fundamental component to create and sustain peace in the long-term.
According to another report, entitled 'Women: Empowerment through Tourism', which contributed to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation's action plan on women's empowerment in tourism, states that the participation of women in tourism brings many levels of positive impact.
The examples given in this report show a great potential for tourism in promoting equitable and sustainable development, especially in marginalised communities, which are underpinned by the process of women's empowerment.
"However, the support of outside agencies and NGOs is often needed, to assist in capacity building and resource management, as well as training in important skills. Therefore, there is the need for the private sector to work in strong synergy with civil society, as well as national governments", President Coleiro Preca stated.
The President said that "we must recognise the fundamental reality, that empowered women are essential to create empowered and resilient communities, nations, regions and a stronger world", and quoted once again the 'Women: Empowerment through Tourism' report, which also states that empowering women through tourism does more than merely transform the lives of individual women, and that most women look beyond themselves and translate economic profits into benefits for their entire families, working hard to meet the needs of their communities.
"Empowering women through tourism undoubtedly empowers whole communities and entire societies, promoting prosperity and resilience, both socially and economically", President Coleiro Preca said whilst adding that through the efforts of the hospitality industry and all stakeholders working within the tourism industry, "it is possible for us to take tourism's strategies for peaceful development to the next level by prioritising the visible participation of women."
The President said that the private sector has a critical role to play in contributing to global peace, especially through processes of person-to-person contact, interfaith dialogue, and intercultural relationship-building, which are made possible thanks to tourism, further stating that women definitely bring their own particular skills and abilities which can directly influence and nurture holistic processes of peace and prosperity within their communities and across their society.
In concluding, the President said that by working together, "we can harness the transformative power of tourism to promote the much-needed empowerment of women and their involvement in intercultural and interfaith dialogue, building new friendships and opportunities of understanding among diverse groups, and creating sustainable strategies for peace and prosperity in the Mediterranean region and beyond."
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2HUd45h
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