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A non-profit initiative founded in September 2020 by a group of women in the travel industry out of Miami, Women in Travel Thrive has grown by leaps and bounds! Started by Silvia Camarota, Senior Director, North America Market Management, Lodging at Expedia Group, with the goal to help reduce the impact that COVID-19 on women’s career progression mainly through mentorship opportunities.
In a short time, Women in Travel Thrive has amassed a strong following on social media and held the inaugural Day of Impact on January 26 – 28, 2021, and is hosting the second Day of Impact THIS WEEK! It is free to participate, so have a look and sign up here. We chatted with founder Silvia Camarota about this week's events.
Women in Travel Thrive is an exciting growth story, how many members do you have now?
THRIVE is truly a global community with engagement on multiple platforms. We have over 1500 active subscribers to our site however closer to 2100 followers on LinkedIn. Our community also extends itself in Slack to another 150+ active members there browsing channels like industry events or job opportunities.
The main thing (beyond Day of Impact) is that you are offering is mentoring?
Our primary goal was always to make connections and we are doing so with our greatest value proposition – THRIVE Match networking program. This free program matches those interested monthly to extend their network with others equally eager to forge new connections that can potentially lead to mentorship. The Match program is open to all, women but also our allies (i.e., men).
Is it free to join or is there a fee now?
There is no cost to follow us, join our community channels, participate in Day of Impact events, or even be matched with others in the industry through THRIVE Match networking program. We do welcome new partnerships, donations in kind, or sponsors to fund our efforts as all work is being done with volunteers. Funds and donations are also applied to Empowerment Bundles – application program also open and free to Women in Travel that will deliver to recipients immediate, tangible help as they are seeking career growth or entry into the travel industry. Bundles are customized and inclusive of career-focused elements like LinkedIn subscriptions, professional headshots, resume writing services, practice interview sessions, mentorship from THRIVE, and the Gallup StrengthFinders Assessment.
Can you tell me more about the partnerships with AAHOA, etc.?
We are thrilled to have forged partnerships with multiple associations that are believers in our cause and purpose. Through our partnership with AAHOA, WinIT by GBTA, and the HSMAI Foundation, we are able to extend our reach and influence for a better future, to create a more equitable travel industry for generations of now and the future, and also cross-promote our joint efforts in this pursuit.
