WITIA’s yearly Educational and Annual General Meeting will be absolutely African next year! Kenya has been selected as the host destination for October 2012 under the coordination of local WITIA members belonging to the Kenya Association of Women in Tourism (KAWT). WITIA members from six continents will be drawn together for significant networking and educational opportunities as they are treated to an incredibly rich journey of cultural experiences, nature highlights, and interactions with the local population.

WITIA’s Educational is an annual interactive learning opportunity designed to engage tourism professionals in the study of tourism practices in destinations throughout the world.   In 2011, WITIA members visited Costa Rica to discover and experience why this destination is considered one of the world’s pioneers in sustainable tourism. The Kenyan tour will allow participants to directly interact with members of the Kenyan tourism industry as they experience some of its foremost tourism products.

KAWT members have created a comprehensive itinerary that showcases many of the country’s most indelible experiences.  The journey begins in Nairobi with an opportunity for members to attend KAWT’s inaugural International Travel Expo, a conference/trade show that promises multiple learning and networking opportunities with visitors throughout the region and the world. Following their stay in the capital, participants will proceed deep into safari country to experience the homeland of the Maasai tribe. With game drives and other activities in the Mara, WITIA members will experience one of the world’s amazing migrations – zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest moving in vast multitudes - as well as the impressive resident populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, African elephant, African buffalo and black rhinoceros, to name a few. The Mara stay will include visits with the Maasai to learn about their culture and multiple opportunities to be awed by Technicolor skies that transform throughout the day and evening in a beautiful spectrum of colors.

The journey continues to the Rift Valley, a 20 million year-old geological phenomenon complete with a complex and unique network of emerald and azure lakes, hot springs and craters. The Rift Valley is an excellent place to view wildlife, drawn here by abundant water and minimal tourist disruption. The WITIA experience will end back at the Nairobi National Park with a farewell Gala Dinner, a beautiful gathering of tourism colleagues and friends, old and new.

The decision to select Kenya for 2012 was a challenging one as another very attractive bid was received for the South Island of New Zealand from Magnetic South Ltd of Auckland. Members were invited to cast their vote, and in the end, Kenya emerged the winner. The WITIA Board advises that solid dates and final itinerary details for Kenya 2012 will be unveiled shortly.

During WITIA’s just completed Annual General Meeting, held in Costa Rica on 18 October 2011, Board elections were held. WITIA congratulates Ms. Gerica Ricci from Senigallia, Italy who will serve as Director of Marketing, Europe and Middle East, Nicole Beissner from Vancouver, Canada who was confirmed as Director of Membership, and Kirstin Yelland from Queensland, Australia who was re-elected to serve as Financial Controller.

Founded on 01 February 2006, WITIA is an international networking organization that seeks to link tourism professionals, male and female, in locations all over the world. At present WITIA is represented in 30 countries and communicates with monthly electronic newsletters to a database of over 3000 tourism professionals worldwide. WITIA is actively soliciting new memberships. There is an AUD $25 initiation fee to join plus annual dues of AUD $30 per year. Each member enjoys their own profile page on the WITIA website accessible to all other members. The site, witia.org, also includes WITIA’s mission statement, benefits of membership, archived newsletters and other items of interest and convenience to tourism professionals.