Numerous entities across the travel industry threw their
support behind women's issues on Thursday, International Women's Day, with one
company using the day as an opportunity to promote a novel concept: a women's-only
luxury retreat on a private island off the coast of Finland.
SuperShe Island is an 8.4-acre island that was bought by
SuperShe founder Kristina Roth and features four renovated cabins that can
sleep a total of 10, spa amenities and Finnish saunas. It is slated to open
this June. The price starts at $3,500 per person.
"Women need to spend time with other women. Being on
vacation with men can be draining and demanding. We want SuperShe Island to be
rejuvenating and a safe space where women can reinvent themselves and their
desires. A place where you can recalibrate without distractions," Roth
said in a statement.
SuperShe also hosts retreats in destinations such as Hawaii
and Turks & Caicos.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) issued
a statement about the role the travel industry should play in empowering women.
The organization encouraged the tourism sector to strengthen legal protection
for women, ensure equal pay and access to entrepreneurship resources for women,
and promote women's leadership within the industry.
Several travel companies highlighted initiatives that engage
women in local communities.
Luxury Gold, a Travel Corporation brand, has partnered with
the TreadRight Foundation (Travel Corporation's nonprofit) to develop a grant
program for artisan enterprises that work to empower women.
On select Luxury Gold itineraries, clients can meet and
interact with the women spearheading these Heritage Initiative projects, as
they're called.
"International
Women's Day is a compelling time to bring greater awareness about the power of
impactful tourism, and to highlight the tireless and artistic efforts of these
local women," stated Ulla Hefel Böhler,
global CEO of Luxury Gold and Insight Vacations.
G Adventures, too, spotlighted four women-led social
enterprise projects that the company has incorporated into several
itineraries.
Intrepid Travel launched a line of women-only expeditions in
Morocco, Iran and Jordan, encouraging female empowerment and showcasing the
traditions and routines of local women in each destination.
Expedia Inc. touted the importance of having women in
leadership roles in the travel industry, stating that Expedia has pay parity,
with women and men in equivalent roles at Expedia earning the same dollars. The
company said that women now hold 35% of Expedia's leadership positions, defined
as executive-, senior- and manager-level positions.
Stated Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO secretary-general, "I
call upon the global tourism community to maximize every opportunity to raise
awareness of gender inequality in tourism."