JEDDAH, 10 June 2007 — Women professionals in the travel industry in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been offered access to a development program which would develop their skills and further their careers. The program, composed of 20 scholarships for the U21Global Executive Diploma of Business Administration, is intended for graduates.
The very positive take-up on the graduate program last year from a wide cross-section of the travel and tourism industry encouraged co-sponsors MasterCard and U21 Global to extend it to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and South Africa.
“We are excited to extend the reach of this scholarship to South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to allow more women in travel and tourism to benefit from our business curriculum and to stay abreast of industry trends while also managing work commitments and family life,” said Dr. Helen Lange, dean, Business Management Programs, U21Global. “The overwhelming response to the inaugural program in 2006 gives us reason to believe that this second year of the MasterCard-U21Global Scholarship Program will once again be a resounding success.”
On Wednesday, Bilal B. Sabouni, regional manager, Graduate Education Programs, U21 Global, visited Riyadh with the MBA Open House Event to present the scholarship and confer with organizations who might field candidates.
The candidates who complete the program successfully will receive the U21Global Executive Diploma of Business Administration which could integrate into the University of Nottingham MSc in Tourism and Travel Management, developed by Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, a part of Nottingham University Business School, and U21Global, a leader in graduate online education for working executives and professionals.
Candidates will be reviewed by a panel of judges nominated by the co-sponsors who will choose the final 20 recipients from nominations put forward by organizations from the travel and tourism industry across Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa.
Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide, said that MasterCard had been long committed to women’s advancement.
With tourism being one of the most dynamic economic sectors in the region she wanted to encourage women in the industry to upgrade their skills to stay ahead in the evolving tourism industry.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), world tourism broke through the barrier of 800 million international arrivals in 2005, reaching 842 million in 2006.
UNWTO figures show that this increase represents over 20 percent growth since 2004, equivalent to 150 million additional visitors. Africa registered the strongest growth as it had also done in 2005. Asia-Pacific also posted outstanding results and the Middle East proved remarkably resilient in spite of the upheavals being experienced by the region.
“Recent MasterCard research shows that despite positive economic growth and the tightening of labor market conditions, women still perceive themselves as not getting the same opportunities as men when it comes to managerial positions,” said Tan.
