Women in TOURISM
by KEN BARTOLOTTA Reporter
F or a region to expand or for an entity to remain relevant, it's

Arlene White of the Binational Tour Alliance talks with Christine Peters on the right. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

important to pass

on the experiences that one has learned to future generations to ensure the continuity of that success.

This was the thought process behind the recently instituted "Women in Tourism Program," created by Binational Tourism Alliance.

"Women in Tourism," brings women from the tourism industry together to share expertise and personal stories of their development, leadership and involvement in the rapidly changing industry.

According to Arlene White, executive director of the Binational Tourism Alliance, the initiative helps raise awareness of the contributions women have made to the industry.

"We wanted to start showcasing these women and how their careers have progressed," said White. "Show what they've learned and how they can share that info."

This past July, the group made its way to East Aurora's Roycroft Campus for the second event in its bimonthly initiative.

The group hosted its inaugural event at the Inniskillin Wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake which was attended by more than 70 women from the United States and Canadian Tourism organizations.

"We ask for people to host their event at their location and ask the women who are in those management roles to give a presentation format where they talk about their careers," she said.

"They talk about what they've done, what they have learned, sharing tips," said White. "But we do it in these amazing environments. They talk about their history, the people they have worked with and the advice of other people."

The program began this spring following a BTA summit in which White and several of her colleagues were given approval and support by the alliance's board of directors.

"This is our first year," she said. "It began with a few of us talking about it casually because there was nothing like this despite the fact that 75 percent of women make up the industry."

According to White, the response and attendance of the program have been impressive.

"It was an amazing response at the winery," she said. "There is a lot of women out there who are doing the work but we don't hear about them on a regular basis."

The turnout for the event in East Aurora was also encouraging.

"The response in East Aurora was great," she said. "You have to remember it was the middle of July so it's a busy time for our industry but we had 55 people turn out."

White was also impressed with the fact that the event seems to attract different people every time, a sign that the Women in Tourism is beginning to grow despite catering to a crowd that has a busy schedule.

"We try to (meet) Wednesday or Thursday keeping in mind that they have a lot of appointments to keep. We (meet) after work from 5 to 8:30 p.m.," she said.

And while there is currently no concrete formula for deciding where to host the events, the group does intend to institute a committee.

"Right now we just sort of have conversations about who we should pick to do the presentations," she said. "There will be a formal committee that will take on this responsibility."

The group also has a number of other plans for the immediate future including an all-day seminar that will feature several speakers, internship programs as well as a mentoring program and scholarships.

"These are the suggestions we've gotten so far and we're putting them into action," she said. "The way it is taking off so quickly we want to continue to provide the right components to help advance the industry because it is critical to this area."

e-mail: kenb@beenews.com