Women in Tourism International Alliance (WITIA) was launched on
Jan. 31 as an international networking alliance that is
female-centric but open to all travel and tourism professionals,
male and female. Membership in WITIA is individual, and if you take
an interest in the running of organizations, as a member you will
have a direct vote in WITIA’s affairs.
WITIA is international. While its headquarters are on the Gold
Coast in Australia, it has members worldwide. Since WITIA does not
require a whole club in any location, we can have someone on
Norfolk Island in the Pacific or Long Island in New York a single
member or a whole battalion. The goal is to get as diverse a
membership as possible so that when you need to have clear advice,
you can have access to “someone on the ground” in the location you
need.
Right now our membership is predominately Australian, with the
U.S. next and another 13 countries falling in behind. We want to
reach out more and more, because having a network of people in a
lot of locations and a lot of specialties is key. One nice feature:
no meetings to attend unless you choose to go to convention on the
Gold Coast May 25-28, 2007. There are also other opportunities to
get together, but no monthly, quarterly or any other obligation. In
effect we come to you, several times a month, right in your
inbox.
WITIA is now accepting memberships. Dues are $25 Australian
(around $19 U.S.), and information can be found on the
organization’s home page: www.witia.org. This is a fabulous
networking opportunity.
Beverly Auerbach,
Director of Marketing - Americas, WITIA
Vice President, A Marketing Perspective,
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
