In the shadow of the war, the lack of incoming tourism and the continued accommodation of evacuees in the hotels, the ‘Hotelier Forum’, which brings together the leading women of the hotel and tourism industry in Israel, convened.
Since the Hotel Forum was established in 2008, it has been working to expand the representation and integration of women in the hotel industry in Israel, and this year it was revealed at the conference that, for the first time, women in the hotel industry make up about 50% of the workforce of about 42,000 employees.
“This is a phenomenal success”, noted the chairman of the Hotel Forum, attorney Smadar Nimrodi Rinot, at the event, and said: “About a decade ago, we had less than 25% women in senior positions in the industry. Today, and thanks to the activity of the forum, we have been able to double the female representation in senior positions and in the industry in general”.
Member of Knesset, Pnina Tamano-Shata, greeted the participants in the panel and said: “It is a privilege to be here with you, women who were the first to open their doors, to meet and take in over 100,000 displaced Israelis who unwillingly found themselves in a situation where they had to leave their home and become refugees in their country. I know that you will give your soul to take in the children and women who went through the inferno in the south and in the north, and helped them a lot for the national mission. I know the challenge from the days when I served as Minister of Immigration and Absorption, we took in tens of thousands of refugees during my shift, where you were also the first partners within the hotel association”.
Sivan Datouker, CEO of the Hotel Association, congratulated the participants in the conference and said: “Women are at the forefront and manage many organizations from all sectors of the economy. This year, during the war, we were exposed to strong women who made life-changing decisions from the battlefield to working in the industry. I am proud to see the significant female involvement with us and we will work to ensure that this activity will only continue to grow”.
The CEO of the Economic Society of the Hotel Association and the initiative of the Hoteliers’ Forum, Romi Gorodisky: “When we established the Hoteliers’ Forum, the number of women in the industry was small, it was hardly possible to find senior managers and members of the forum, but since then, the forum has grown and created a positive and dramatic turning point in the industry. I’m happy about the change and wish it will continue”.