Q: Where do you see the travel industry going in the next ten years?
A: It’s going to grow, and I think that women are going to play a pivotal role in the way that the travel industry is going to blossom. The thing about travel is that it’s the largest industry in the world. When you consider where everyone is spending their money, travel is number one. It’s a $4.7 trillion industry. Here in the US, women book 92 percent of all trips, be it with their families, by themselves, or their husbands, or for their work, women are responsible for making those decisions. The two things that women are using that they respect most in their lives are their time and their money. And we think about that. Once we go on a trip, we’ve spent it. I think that travel is going to become more conscious, it’s going to be wrapped about eco-travel, around green-travel: we’re going to ask ourselves, how can we sustain this place that we call earth in a more caring way? Or, where can I go to help with philanthropic efforts? I want to go on safari; can I go through an organization that donates part of their proceeds to a homeless shelter or an orphanage that’s there? I think that’s the direction that travel is going to start taking. We’re going to start thinking about ways to get there with less effect on the environment. We’re not there yet. The level of travel is going to become more conscious. People are going to make decisions not just based on, “Oh I want to go to Hawaii with the kids,” but, “Where can I go where we can help sustain community, where we can give back to the world?” That’s a process. And it’s going to take people like myself to move that ball forward, because we are pushing that ball up a hill.
Q: Any last thoughts for our wonderful readers?
A: Be courageous, take a first step. Decide to do something powerful and important. I think women forget that. And I would really remember what they say in airplanes, when they’re doing the safety checks, put the oxygen mask on yourself before assisting others that might need help. And just taking a trip away, even if it’s just to Napa for the day, is like putting the oxygen mask on yourself. And then you can help others!
