Hello, I am Malia Asfour. I am a Jordanian-American who grew up in Amman, Jordan, and was fortunate enough to go to school in Jordan, UK and the USA. As the Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board North America, I oversee the marketing of Jordan to visitors from across the US, Canada and Mexico.
Some say I was born with a suitcase in my hand, as I have had the privilege of traveling all over the world from a very young age. This passion has translated into a very fulfilling career in tourism.
At 16 years old, I started my career writing tickets for a Jordanian DMC and moved on to work at hotels. With a foot in Jordan and the US due to family connections, I caught the travel bug early and knew this is where I wanted to build a career.
I’m proud to write that I founded the Jordan Tourism Board North America in 1996 and with my team, we have grown the business to $430 million in tourism revenue across North America. As a Jordanian woman in the North American tourism industry, I’ve been respected and encouraged to keep growing by my male colleagues at every step. I’ve been lucky to have served on many US travel Association boards and helped lead exciting campaigns throughout the industry. I currently serve as Chair of the Tourism Cares Board of Directors and I’m a longstanding member of the Adventure Travel & Trade association Board of Directors, two highly respected organizations.
Malia Asfour
While there are still barriers for many women working in tourism globally, I feel very fortunate to have built my career in North America where my male and female colleagues have supported me along the way.
While my experience has been a positive one, I know many women who have faced barriers. I do feel that female representation at leadership levels needs to be increased. I feel it is our responsibility to help uplift and encourage more women to get involved and lead across all aspects of the tourism industry and we need to nurture the next generation of women leaders. The global tourism industry will only be the better for this change to happen.
I work with many women in our industry and I advise when asked, I encourage, mentor and nurture when needed. Since it is known that travel is mostly planned by women, It is important that we encourage more women to discover the many career opportunities for them in tourism and invite them to join us. There are so many different careers in this industry that are interesting and sustainable and I feel the days of the old boys’ network in tourism are far behind us. Yet I am not naïve to think that barriers don’t still exist and through my positions on many boards, I hope to reduce these barriers.
By using words like Empower, we are assuming that women do not have power. I believe we need to use words like encourage, help, lift, build. We, as women, need to speak out about the career opportunities across tourism. We need to educate more women on where to start, how to start and how to build. As female leaders, it is important that we make ourselves available to open doors and mentor so that more women can have sustainable, fulfilling careers in tourism. I do not want to be seen as one of few but instead one of many.
Recognizing that 50% of our world is female and that a better balance of male and female leaders in our societies makes us more sustainable. It means celebrating women and those who lift us up and support us. It means recognizing equality and pushing for equal pay and equal rights for women around the globe. It means no longer fighting for what we deserve but celebrating what we have achieved.
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