IGLTA International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association Chairman Of The Board Of Directors  Felipe Cardenas speaks about the challenges and opportunities for the tourism industry when tapping into the LGBTQ+ clientele to build a safe and inclusive travel experience for all.  Across the tourism industry today we often speak about embracing a more inclusive and diverse approach and mindset. But what does it exactly mean? How do we practically develop a more ‘inclusive’ company culture and what are the benefits of this approach?   The travellers profile is growing more and more complex by the day, the tourism industry operators have come to understand and even enhance a more gender neutral approach to their customers but a lot more remains to be done and the challenge is that many tourism operators do not quite know how to tackle this social change, which will inevitably have an impact on the future of their business. WHY LGBTQ+ travel is crucial to building an inclusive future of travel HOW you can get on board, put your destination on the map and learn what are the direct financial benefits of tapping into this social movement and WHAT can you do to champion change across your company culture About IGLTA IGLTA, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association was founded in 1983 and is the world's leading network of LGBTQ+-welcoming tourism businesses. We provide free travel resources and information while continuously working to promote equality and safety within LGBTQ+ tourism worldwide. IGLTA’s members include LGBTQ+-friendly accommodations, transport, destinations, service providers, Travel Advisors, tour operators, events and travel media located in over 80 countries. Learn more about IGLTA here Season 3 Episode 60 SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW Rate and Review Truth Behind Travel Podcast on Apple Podcast About Dolores Semeraro Dolores Semeraro is a Tourism & Hospitality Marketing Specialist and International Tourism Keynote Speaker focusing on Tourism Innovation, Recovery Strategies and Travel Resilience with 20 years of experience in hospitality, marketing, and communication. During her career, Dolores has worked in Europe, China, The Maldives, and The Republic of Mauritius for some of the most established hotel companies across Asia and the Indian Ocean. Tourism Marketing and Digital Communication are Dolores’ key areas of expertise, she pioneered the use of social media for hospitality and tourism in the Maldives since the very early days of the use of social networks. Most recently, as the pandemic brought the global outlook of the tourism industry to a halt, Dolores launched the world’s first travel recovery podcast called ‘Truth Behind Travel’ where she interviews tourism industry leaders and travel experts on the core topic of Travel Recovery. Within months from its launch, the podcast ranked #1 in travel and places on Apple Podcast across the Indian Ocean region. As the hospitality and tourism industry embarks on a journey towards travel recovery, Dolores has brought her hospitality keynotes to a global virtual stage having been invited to speak at international tourism summits as a Hospitality Expert on Travel Recovery. She has also been the host of travel and hospitality virtual events moderating panels with the likes of Ministers of Tourism and Diplomats as well as senior industry leaders both in the hospitality and aviation industry. Do you want to suggest a podcast guest? get in touch! contact Dolores here If you enjoyed today’s ep