A prominent Caribbean tourism leader is calling on the region’s leaders to pay more attention to the need to protect and support women working in tourism, the region’s biggest money earner.
Karolin Troubetzkoy, executive director of St. Lucia’s storied Jade Mountain resort and its adjoining sister property, Anse Chastanet, said “Caribbean women are some of the most powerful and accomplished women in the global tourism and hospitality sectors, but there is still a need to ensure they can shine and advance without being compromised or limited.”
Speaking on the occasion of International Women’s Day on Thursday, Troubetzkoy, who is also President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), suggested opening a dialogue to review with female leaders in the Caribbean tourism industry the sort of concerns that led to the formation of the “Me Too” and “Time’s Up” movements in North America, which exposed egregious forms of sexual harassment and abuse in entertainment and other industries, but also highlighted other gender- and professional development-related issues.
“Our women are often at the frontlines of our tourism and hospitality industries because of the natural welcoming natures of our Caribbean people and we want to give them a forum to highlight issues, voice concerns, advance solutions and to ultimately ensure a safe and fair working environment,” she stated.
“We should be looking at how best we can accelerate gender parity to help our women advance and unleash their limitless potential, to the benefit of ourselves, our industry and our countries and territories,” Troubetzkoy continued.
“In addition to being an important industry for women to earn a living, tourism is also by far the leading bread earner for the Caribbean region, so protecting our women and allowing them to shine will also positively impact our valuable investments themselves,” she declared.
“Women have done a lot of thinking about these issues for years, so it’s time to hear their voices and to disseminate their recommendations much more widely. It’s time to #PressforProgress,” she concluded, referring to this year’s International Women’s Day theme.
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