Following the success of the third International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum (IWTTF) in 2022, Women in Travel CIC is proud to confirm the first round of sponsors for the forthcoming 2023 event in London.

Last year, the event saw the gathering of household name brands including Cosmos, TUI, Celebrity Cruises, DiamondAir International and more.

For the first time, IWTTF 2023 will include an awards event recognising advocates and changemakers in diversity, equity and inclusion and the empowerment of women in the travel industry.

Expedia Group will host the awards ceremony, which will take place at its prestigious offices in Angel, London, on the evening of June 21 and include a networking reception. 

Awards categories will specifically reflect Women in Travel CIC’s mission and core pillars, comprising: Leadership; Allyship; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Talent and Recruitment.

There will be opportunities for both individuals and companies to submit applications, which will open in late March.

The awards event will be followed on June 22 by a business day packed full of inspirational content, featuring panel discussions, group mentoring break-outs and keynote sessions.

The forum will once again be hosted by Google, this time in its larger King’s Cross London conference space to accommodate expected demand, which last year exceeded capacity.

Alessandra Alonso, founder of Women in Travel CIC, said: “I’m so grateful to all our sponsors so far for their continuous support and commitment to IWTTF and our work.

“It is a strong indication that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion continue to play a critical role in our sector, inextricably linked to sustainability and well-being. 

“These companies have set us on our path to a bigger and even better event in 2023, particularly with the addition of our inaugural awards.”

IWTTF, whose founding sponsor, Intrepid Travel, returns to headline in 2023, took place for the first time in 2020 to provide an international and inclusive platform for all genders to come together to discuss the acceleration of diversity and inclusion in the travel and tourism sector. 

Last year’s IWTTF received universal praise and was hailed as “a truly inspirational and thought-provoking day” by Julia Lo Bue Said, chief executive at Advantage Travel Partnership; “ground-breaking in its approach” by Sumeetra Ramakrishnan from the University of Surrey; and “an incredible day with 150 brilliant travel professionals passionate about improving diversity within the travel industry” by Toby Horry, group brand and content director at TUI.

Ariane Gorin, president at Expedia for Business, commented: “We are proud to host Women in Travel CIC’s first ever awards event.

“At Expedia Group, we believe that having a diverse team leads to better outcomes for our travellers.

“We’re committed to creating an environment in which all of our employees can grow, and one of the programs we’ve created is a global Mentoring Program open to all of our employees.

“These peer-to-peer interactions ensure women develop relationships that support their development and career growth.”

More Information

Any other businesses that would like to express an interest in sponsoring elements of IWTTF 2023 should contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).