We Travel For Women+: Carylann Assante, Student and Youth Travel Association

I’m a seasoned tourism and association executive with 25-plus years of experience in the industry.  My passions include travel, learning, walking, and spending time with my family.

 I serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA), in Northern Virginia.  SYTA is an international association that promotes student and youth travel worldwide.  I ‘m also CEO of the SYTA Youth Foundation, a Foundation that supports young people through travel.

 At an early age, I had an entrepreneurial spirit and started working as a local “housekeeper” for the elderly. After that,  I went to work in a family restaurant and worked my way through college as a waitress. It was the people I worked with in the hospitality industry and the opportunity to engage with customers from all over the world that have kept me in this industry.

When I graduated in the ‘80s with a liberal arts degree, it was recommended that I start as an executive assistant.  I could type 90 words a minute and presented myself well in person and on the phone. And so I did -  I started in the sales/catering office at a historic hotel in WDC.  No one suggested that I apply for the Sales Manager position that was also open. After working really hard – long hours – and being the “go to” person on staff – I became a Sales Manager.  I switched jobs every two years to advance my career until I found a boss/mentor who guided me into a  Senior Executive position.  I also connected with women leaders who “leaned in” to help me find my voice.  I did find that tourism, associations, and nonprofits offered more opportunities for women in senior executive roles.  I believe women are “born” with a natural sense of service that flourishes in these industries.

Carylann Assante

Personally, I do feel supported in the travel industry. But over the years, I have seen inequities in the areas of “C Suite” positions and compensation.  I believe women still must work harder and demonstrate their ability to be strategic leaders, drive revenue, and manage teams compared to men.  It’s changing and I’m excited by the number of women in senior executive roles.  I’m also glad to see that “appearance” is not the driving factor in the travel industry anymore. If you walked a tradeshow floor in the ‘90s, you only saw “beautiful” people in the booths. In some cases, you could not even wear pants.  Today you see the beauty and diversity of our industry. 

In my experience, there has also been growth in representation by the LGBTQ+ community.  I travel internationally and see the representation in hospitality, destination management, travel advisors, tour operators – in all areas of our industry. I also see it in the number of women+ in senior positions, serving on Boards, speaking at conferences, and having a voice in our industry.

Though, we have to intentionally recognize that work needs to be done from upper-level management to actively be inclusive in the industry. As a CEO, I can encourage my colleagues to widen their search for employees and be intentional in their hiring practices. Create a culture in their workplace that encourages women+  to stay in our industry. Offer a career path that supports their personal and professional growth.   I’m a strong believer in service and volunteering on boards as a way to empower women leaders and encourage CEOs to offer these opportunities to their staff.

I have been fortunate to work in travel – and with students and youth under 18.  For girls, knowing women's achievements expands their sense of what is possible. For all of us, knowledge of women's strengths and contributions builds respect and nourishes self-esteem — crucial to all children and adults now, and in the years to come.  Highlighting women’s achievements only emphasizes the lack of true liberty for women in other countries – especially the ones that encourage travel to their destinations.  As Mark Twain said,

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."