WOMEN operators in tourism industry will meet for a one-day symposium dubbed 'Women in Tourism 2018' in Serengeti National Park this week to discuss the role of women in society and participation of women in the labour market.

The meeting will be held on February 25 this year, in Asilia's Dunia Camp, an all female operated property in the Serengeti National Park.The event is being organised by Hotels Association of Tanzania in collaboration with association of Women in Tourism Tanzania (AWOTTA) and Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB). The Chief Executive Officer of the Hotels Association of Tanzania (HAT), Ms Nura-Lisa Karamagi, said yesterday that the occasion will bring together women from private and public sectors who are in the tourism industry to discuss and share experiences about the barriers and challenges facing women in the industry and how they are being overcome.

"The forum is meant to show the public that women play a significant role in the growth and development of tourism sector and are continuously challenging themselves to even greater roles - especially ones that have been traditionally thought to be the reserved for men --- from aviation to game ranging. Their potential to make meaningful contribution to the growth of the sector should not be underestimated," she stressed.

The Serengeti symposium is planned to be a curtain-raiser for this year's annual International Women's Day that will be celebrated next month. The theme for this year's international women's day is to Press for Progress. The seminars will discuss barriers inhibiting women from taking up potential opportunities to advance themselves in the sector and how Tanzania can advance initiatives being taken to change the stereotypes surrounding the role of women in society.

The host of the event, Dunia camp, is one of the unique examples of a camp that is breaking some of the stereotypes. The CEO said women around the world have more choices now but are still under represented in many levels. She commended the fact that women are holding top positions but, she added that "the positions do not necessarily come with the authority to make decisions.

" In Tanzania, she explained, unemployment for women stands at 12.3 per cent as against 8.2 per cent for men. In cities unemployment for women stands at 32 per cent while that for men is 11 per cent.

She said in Tanzania tourism industry is the second largest service sector that has enormous potential to employ and empower women even in positions that have traditionally been considered for men.

The symposium will draw women from the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, the Ministry for Education and Vocational Training, Tanzania Tourism Board (TTB), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, TANAPA, NCAA, TAWA.