Shows
Truth Behind Travel PodcastChallenges and Opportunities for Women and Non-Binary Tourism Entrepreneurs through wmnsWORKDolores Semeraro interviews Iris Serbanescu - the founder of wmnsWORK - her journey from risk management to tourism, highlighting her 12-year career in marketing and partnerships. How she founded wmnsWORK, an award-winning tourism accelerator for women entrepreneurs, during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of systemic change, noting that while 60% of the travel workforce is female, only 8% hold executive positions. wmnsWORK has supported 60 entrepreneurs over three years, focusing on intuition, networking, and mentorship. wmnsWORK is a 12-week virtual, equity free accelerator program designed specifically to support women and non...2025-05-2535 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastThe Truth Behind Traveling to Madagascar with Sonja GottlebeDolores Semeraro interviews Sonja Gottlebe Sustainable Tourism Advocate | Eco-Lodge Pioneer of Madagascar. sonja is a champion of Sustainable Tourism in Madagascar, with over three decades of pioneering work in the tourism industry. During this episode, Sonja highlights the country's resilience despite crises but noted the severe impact of COVID-19, with tourist numbers plummeting from 400,000 in 2019 to 150,000 in 2024. Madagascar's lack of a national airline and poor infrastructure hinder tourism but Sonja emphasized the need for a comprehensive development strategy, including education, infrastructure, and sustainable practices. Also on the episodeSon...2025-05-1351 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastRegenerative Tourism - beyond the buzzword in conversation with Tina O'DwyerDolores Semeraro interviews Tina O'Dwyer - Founder & Chief Facilitator at The Tourism Space® on Regenerative Tourism: where does a destination start the journey? About Tina O'DwyerShe is the Founder and CEO of the Tourism Space, a leading consultancy and education provider partnering with the public sector to enable sustainable, regenerative and collaborative approaches to tourism. They work alongside government departments, public sector agencies, not-for-profit organisations, destination stewards, and EU projects to drive meaningful change. Working on the practice of sustainable and regenerative tourism since 2009, her contributions have been recognised nationally and...2025-04-2948 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastHow to sell sustainable tourism without selling sustainable tourism with Anne De JongDolores Semeraro interviews Anne De Jong - sustainable tourism consultant and co-founder of the Good Tourism Institute on how effectively change the tourism marketing narrative to enhance the message within sustainable practices adopted within the destination. About The Good Tourism Institute The Good Tourism Institute is a sustainable tourism development and marketing agency. Their mission is to mainstream and streamline sustainability practices: making sustainability more accessible and appealing, and using sustainability as leverage to run a successful business. Through their programs and consultancy, the Good Tourism Institute transforms travel businesses fr...2025-04-0731 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastMeasuring Success through Impact and Change in conversation with Sarah Payne from UnTours FundationDolores Semeraro interviews Sarah Payne , Director of Impact at Untours Fundation - on her journey from an MBA in economic development to her current role, emphasizing the importance of impact with social, environmental and economical drive for entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur herself, Sarah believes passionately in using business as a force for good to create a more just, equitable, and regenerative world. She has also worked with a variety of nonprofits both in the United States and abroad to advance social change and alleviate poverty. Ever adventurous, Sarah loves to travel and enjoy the great outdoors. Sarah holds a...2025-03-2441 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastGreether: award-winning women-led travel platform with founder Vanessa KarelDolores Semeraro interviews Vanessa Karel, founder of the award-winning women-led travel guides Greether. Vanessa Karel, a second-time founder, shared her journey from being stranded in Morocco during the pandemic to creating Greether, a platform connecting female travelers with local greeters for safe and authentic travel experiences. She highlights the $125 billion female travel market and the 90% of female travelers seeking safer travel options. Greether, now in over 100 countries, employs women and offers personalized services. Turning an Idea into a Reality: Greether was born. Identifying a problem with a large mark...2025-03-1041 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastExperiential Hospitality at its best with Catarina VarãoDolores Semeraro interviews founder of UniqueStays Catarina Varão on true experiential hospitality ultimately leads to social growth. Portugal-based Catarina is passionate traveler by profession, hotel curator by vocation, dedicated to an adventurous lifestyle that inspires and teaches, in contrast to an immersive and “slow” pace of life. Full-time mother and part-time dreamer, whose main activity is consultancy in luxury hospitality and tourism. Hotelier, designer, trainer, coach, PTO (nor just “CEO” jack of all trades) of the company TH2 and founder of the luxury hotel soft brand UniqueStays. Graduated in Tourism Management, postgraduate in Tourism Pr...2025-02-2534 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastHeart-led Leadership in Travel and The Power of Community with Women Travel LeadersDolores Semeraro intervierws the founders of Women Travel Leaders Jennine Cohen and Catherine Gallagher how community over competition comes from abundance mindset, heart-centered leadership is the key to community and true growth, and fostering a supportive, values-aligned network is their prime mission.On this episode: Birth and Growth of Women Travel LeadersCore Mission and Community Building of the networkWomen Empowerment and Leadership in the Travel IndustryHeart-Centered Leadership and Community SupportFuture Vision and Growth of Women Travel LeadersWomen Travel Leaders supports high performing purpose driven travel business leaders grow their travel b...2025-02-0740 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastHow To Build the Mindset of a Changemaker in Tourism with Aradhana KhowalaDolores Semeraro interviews Global Tourism Expert and Thought Leader Aradhana Khowala on where do we really stand today in gender representation and opportunities, how to build the mindset of a change maker and where is regenerative tourism heading. Aradhana Khowala is a global expert and one of the most influential leaders in the luxury hospitality, travel and tourism sector. Today, she is the CEO of Aptamind Partners, a global consultancy firm for governments, emerging destinations, and public and private organisations seeking regenerative tourism development solutions and Prior to her current role, she served as the Managing Director o...2025-01-2441 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastThe paradigm shift we need to define the future of tourism with Anna PollockDolores Semeraro interviews tourism expert and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker and thought leader Anna Pollock on her journey in travel and tourism, the evolution of tourism from a network to an industry, and the shift towards technology and the early adoption of the internet and its tools. Anna Pollock constructively criticises the tourism industry's focus on growth and productivity, leading to over-tourism and environmental degradation. She advocated for a regenerative approach, emphasizing community involvement, local pride, and sustainable practices. Talking to Dolores Semeraro, Anna Pollock called for a paradigm shift in thinking, stressing...2025-01-0657 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastHow to Find your Voice in Travel, Evolve and Connect with others - in conversation with Lola Akinmade ÅkerströmDolores Semeraro interviews Lola Akinmade Åkerström, international bestselling author, keynote speaker, and award-winning travel photographer for National Geographic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Travel + Leisure and more. Lola Akinmade Åkerström was named one of 2023's Most Influential Women in Travel by Travel Pulse and has been recognized with multiple prestigious awards for her work including Condé Nast Traveler's 2024 Women Who Travel Power List. connect with LolaTruth Behind Travel Podcast is sponsored by “Women Travel Leaders”Women Travel Leaders is a community that supports high performing...2024-12-1533 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastTourism & Travel: How to nail The Art of Gift Giving your business partnersPodcast host Dolores Semeraro interviews Josh Filer, Managing Director of D&S Travel Supplies based in the UK on how to nail the art of gift giving in the tourism and travel corporate world. This is a very special time of the year. For those of you celebrating the festivities ahead of us, this is a time that calls for celebration and reflection, time that we want to spend with our families and friends.But even if you are not celebrating the festivities right around the corner, it’s almost impossible to escape the...2023-12-1526 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastFrom Accessible Travel to Inclusive Travel TodayDolores Semeraro on the truth behind Accessible Travel today with guest speakers Ali Parker from Travel Counsellors and Mike and Silvia Hill from Endeavour Safaris in Botswana. We most commonly in tourism and travel, refer to Accessible Travel as the sphere in which travellers with limited mobility or disabilities can access travel options in a fully inclusive way. In this episode we explore the truth behind booking accessible travel holidays for travel agents and tourism operators. In particular we discuss: 1. The Educational Sphere around Accessible Travel: the training needed amongst the tourism operators in or...2023-11-1946 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastSlovenia Sustainability Success StoryDolores Semeraro speaks to the Director General of Slovenia Ministry of Tourism Dubravka Kalin about the success story of destination Slovenia and how it became the sustainability most-copies and observed case study in Europe.On this episode Dubravka shares: The challenges faced growing and developing tourism industryThe best practices that everyone embracedThe shift in the type of tourists coming to the destinationWho does Slovenia look up to?and much more! Learn more about Slovenia here: https://www.slovenia.info/enD...2023-10-0636 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastThe Carbon Footprint of the Tourism IndustryTruth Behind Travel Podcast Host Dolores Semeraro talks to Mark Duckmanton, co-founder and CEO of Path Net Zero on the carbon footprint of the tourism industry and shares the solutions provided by the platform. Path Net Zero provides Carbon Impact Correction solutions for travel, tourism and commercial organisations focused on CSR & ESG. This episode focuses on how the whole impact of of the travel experience can be measured and mitigated with the tools provided by the platform, engaging travel and tourism operators in a more committed and actionable journey to a more responsible tourism business ma...2023-09-2754 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastThe Power of The Global Collective for TravelThe GLOBAL COLLECTIVE FOR TRAVEL is a group of Destination Management Companies dedicated to true connections between the travellers and the destination. The Founders of The Global Collective for Travel Tuan Pham, Çağlar Gökgün and Pravin Tamang speak to host Dolores Semeraro about:The truth behind carbon offsettingCommunity tourism frameworksHow does greenwashing looks like so travellers can learn how to spot it For them, sustainability and community tourism are not just buzzwords– they do not want to leave things as they found them, the want to leave things b...2023-05-1942 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastQueer Destinations and the potentials of the LGBTQ+ Travel SegmentFounder Oriol Pamies shares the mission and the strategies behind the global success of Queer Destinations, leading LGBTQ+ tourism company that provides consulting and marketing strategies to destinations and tourism companies around the world on the LGBTQ+ travel segment.Oriol Pamies speaks to host Dolores Semeraro about how to actively promote your tourism and travel business across the LGBTQ+ segmentdevelop and implement responsible policies towards the LGTBQ+ people through the work of Queer Destinations today. Learn more about Queer Destinations hereFollow the work of Oriol Pamies here2023-05-0544 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastWhat does it take to be an authentic Wellness Tourism Destination?Vice Chair of Wellness Tourism Initiative on Wellness Tourism Destination at The Global Wellness Institute Lindsay Madden-Nadeau shares how a Tourism Destination can truly embraces its wellness potentials. On this episode, Lindsay speaks to podcast host Dolores Semeraro about the research work done through the Wellness Tourism Initiative and the key findings that are showcasing aligning factors across destinations around the world on what does it take to actually be able to call themselves a 'wellness tourism destination'. Learn more about the Wellness Tourism Initiative on here Dolores Semeraro is a so...2023-04-2737 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastSpecial Episode [ITALIAN] - Il Metaverso e l' Industria del TurismoSpecial Episode in Italian Language: Il Metaverso e l' Industria del Turismo. This is a twin episode of Truth Behind Travel Episode No. 60. Dolores Semeraro is a sought-after international tourism keynote speaker and sustainable tourism marketing professional. Dolores actively works in the tourism and travel conference space as a keynote speaker and moderator, gracing the stages of international tourism summits and trade shows. As a professional keynote speaker, Dolores’ speaking topics encompass sustainable digital marketing for the tourism industry, how to establish digital mastery, and learn how to identify today’s travele...2023-04-1720 minTruth Behind Travel PodcastThe Metaverse and The Tourism IndustryThe Metaverse for the tourism industry. During this episode we are going to learn how does The Experience of the Metaverse look like, What is the The Technology we need to access the Metaverse, how Communication in the Metaverse will unfold and how we ensure Accessibility for the Metaverse so that our clients can find us. Beyond the proxies are real opportunities for the tourism and travel operators. What are those? Let’s discovery them together with this how-to, step-by-step Truth Behind Travel Podcast episode. Welcome back to Season 3 of Truth Behind Travel Podcast, where we ar...2023-04-1117 min