[GLOBAL ECONOMIC TIMES] The First Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean had more than 500 people in the Conmebol Convention Hall in Luque.
This initiative highlighted the crucial role that women play in the tourism sector and seeks to promote female empowerment, highlight the talent of women in leadership positions, as well as address the gender gap that persists at certain management levels.
The executive director of UN Tourism, Zoritsa Urosevic, opened the seminar by congratulating the country on behalf of the Minister of Tourism, for hosting the first seminar.
“We have the mandate to promote tourism in our member states in the region, with a shared mission of tourism that offers more opportunities to women, so that gender equality becomes a reality,” he noted.
For his part, the director for the Americas of the United Nations (UN), Gustavo Santos, commented that on his last visit to the country, the secretary general of UN Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, highlighted the value of women Paraguayan in the sector and highlighted three specific points.
He remembered the fratricidal war of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay against Paraguay, and in that bitter moment in history, it was the Paraguayan woman who resurrected her country from the ashes. In addition, she said that it is the only country in the world in which women have led tourism for more than 20 years.
As a third component, he brought up the commitment of the Presidency of the Republic and the first lady as a tourism mentor.
“Humanity is going through an important and transformative moment that is coexistence with technology, and in this new paradigm, the female role is strategic because women represent the condition of rationality with a certain amount of sensitivity, and when she is involved the success is guaranteed,” he highlighted.
The Minister of Tourism, Angie Duarte, at the time, said she was excited to see the room full of empowered women.
“It has been proven that tourism has a woman's face and is one of the industries that can benefit the most from inclusion and female leadership. However, despite progress, women continue to face numerous challenges in their full participation,” she added.
Likewise, he highlighted the government's support and stated that the president understands that the tourism industry is not only a source of economic development, but also a powerful engine for gender equality.
“Thank you very much, Mrs. Leticia Ocampos de Peña, for your commitment to this cause. For putting tourism as one of its lines of work, and for the unconditional support it provides to tourism, the promotion of inter-institutional work and mainly the actions that make it possible to accompany the empowerment of women in the sector,” she stated.
Finally, the First Lady, Leticia Ocampos de Peña, spoke a few words and thanked her for the opportunity to share the first UN Tourism regional conference, because she considers it to be a fundamental pillar for our development.
“Tourism represents not only an economic engine but a unique opportunity to transform lives, connect the possibility of working together to create an environment where tourism is accessible, responsible and respectful,” he added.
At another point in the event, women who served as Ministers of Tourism in past governments were honored, such as Evanhy de Gallegos (2003-2006), Liz Cramer (2006-2013), Marcela Bacigalupo (2013-2018) and Sofía Montiel de Afara, (2018-2023).
The event was organized by the National Secretariat of Tourism, together with UN Tourism, with the support of the Office of the First Lady, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Inter-American Development Bank.
After the opening ceremony, several panels were held that addressed topics related to female leadership in tourism, with moderation and participation of prominent women, and topics such as “Empowering women in the business world of the tourism sector”; “SMEs and the international market”, etc.
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