Welcome back to Truth Behind Travel Podcast! Dolores Semeraro interviews the person leading the conference programme across the the World Travel Market Portfolio, in London and Dubai Brooke Gilbertson. On today’s conversation we have gone through the digital, the physical, the relevancy and buzz of the conference space, to understand what keeps them going, what makes them successful - a space where people want to go and learn, be inspired, connect and grow - all this in the spirit...

Flash episode: Dolores Semeraro interviews eco tourism expert on the field Sonja Gottlebe following the political unrest in Madagascar this week - mid October 2025. Sonja joins Truth Behind Travel Podcast for the second time after her first episode n.79 on Season 4. On this episode: - Dolores & Sonja discuss the recent political unrest and its impact on tourism in Madagascar - Sonja highlights the peaceful Gen Z-inspired protests in October, the rapid digital communicati...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Carmen Roberts, BC travel journalist, international speaker and travel expert on the evolution of travel media and the impact of user-generated content on tourism. Through the lenses of Carmen's vaste experience in travel journalism, this episode exploresCarmen discusses the shift from traditional media to user-generated content, the rise of influencers, and the challenges of maintaining authenticity while managing tourist behavior. The concept of cultu...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Iris Serbanescu - the founder of wmnsWORK - her journey from risk management to tourism, highlighting her 12-year career in marketing and partnerships. How she founded wmnsWORK, an award-winning tourism accelerator for women entrepreneurs, during the pandemic, emphasizing the importance of systemic change, noting that while 60% of the travel workforce is female, only 8% hold executive positions. wmnsWORK has supported 60 entrepreneurs over three years,...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Sonja Gottlebe Sustainable Tourism Advocate | Eco-Lodge Pioneer of Madagascar. sonja is a champion of Sustainable Tourism in Madagascar, with over three decades of pioneering work in the tourism industry. During this episode, Sonja highlights the country's resilience despite crises but noted the severe impact of COVID-19, with tourist numbers plummeting from 400,000 in 2019 to 150,000 in 2024. Madagascar's lack of a national airline and poor infrastruct...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Tina O'Dwyer - Founder & Chief Facilitator at The Tourism Space® on Regenerative Tourism: where does a destination start the journey? About Tina O'Dwyer She is the Founder and CEO of the Tourism Space, a leading consultancy and education provider partnering with the public sector to enable sustainable, regenerative and collaborative approaches to tourism. They work alongside government departments, public sector agencies, not-for-profit organisations, des...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Anne De Jong - sustainable tourism consultant and co-founder of the Good Tourism Institute on how effectively change the tourism marketing narrative to enhance the message within sustainable practices adopted within the destination. About The Good Tourism Institute The Good Tourism Institute is a sustainable tourism development and marketing agency. Their mission is to mainstream and streamline sustainability practices: making sustainability more acce...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Sarah Payne , Director of Impact at Untours Fundation - on her journey from an MBA in economic development to her current role, emphasizing the importance of impact with social, environmental and economical drive for entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur herself, Sarah believes passionately in using business as a force for good to create a more just, equitable, and regenerative world. She has also worked with a variety of nonprofits both in the United States and abr...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Vanessa Karel, founder of the award-winning women-led travel guides Greether. Vanessa Karel, a second-time founder, shared her journey from being stranded in Morocco during the pandemic to creating Greether, a platform connecting female travelers with local greeters for safe and authentic travel experiences. She highlights the $125 billion female travel market and the 90% of female travelers seeking safer travel options. Greether, now in over 100 countr...

Dolores Semeraro interviews founder of UniqueStays Catarina Varão on true experiential hospitality ultimately leads to social growth. Portugal-based Catarina is passionate traveler by profession, hotel curator by vocation, dedicated to an adventurous lifestyle that inspires and teaches, in contrast to an immersive and “slow” pace of life. Full-time mother and part-time dreamer, whose main activity is consultancy in luxury hospitality and tourism. Hotelier, designer, trainer, coach, PT...

Dolores Semeraro intervierws the founders of Women Travel Leaders Jennine Cohen and Catherine Gallagher how community over competition comes from abundance mindset, heart-centered leadership is the key to community and true growth, and fostering a supportive, values-aligned network is their prime mission. On this episode: Birth and Growth of Women Travel LeadersCore Mission and Community Building of the networkWomen Empowerment and Leadership in the Travel IndustryHeart-Centered Leaders...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Global Tourism Expert and Thought Leader Aradhana Khowala on where do we really stand today in gender representation and opportunities, how to build the mindset of a change maker and where is regenerative tourism heading. Aradhana Khowala is a global expert and one of the most influential leaders in the luxury hospitality, travel and tourism sector. Today, she is the CEO of Aptamind Partners, a global consultancy firm for governments, emerging destinations, an...

Dolores Semeraro interviews tourism expert and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker and thought leader Anna Pollock on her journey in travel and tourism, the evolution of tourism from a network to an industry, and the shift towards technology and the early adoption of the internet and its tools. Anna Pollock constructively criticises the tourism industry's focus on growth and productivity, leading to over-tourism and environmental degradation. She advocated for a regenerative approach, e...

Dolores Semeraro interviews Lola Akinmade Åkerström, international bestselling author, keynote speaker, and award-winning travel photographer for National Geographic, BBC, CNN, The Guardian, Travel + Leisure and more. Lola Akinmade Åkerström was named one of 2023's Most Influential Women in Travel by Travel Pulse and has been recognized with multiple prestigious awards for her work including Condé Nast Traveler's 2024 Women Who Travel Power List. connect with LolaTruth Behind Travel...

Podcast host Dolores Semeraro interviews Josh Filer, Managing Director of D&S Travel Supplies based in the UK on how to nail the art of gift giving in the tourism and travel corporate world. This is a very special time of the year. For those of you celebrating the festivities ahead of us, this is a time that calls for celebration and reflection, time that we want to spend with our families and friends.But even if you are not celebrating the festivities right around the corner, i...

Dolores Semeraro on the truth behind Accessible Travel today with guest speakers Ali Parker from Travel Counsellors and Mike and Silvia Hill from Endeavour Safaris in Botswana. We most commonly in tourism and travel, refer to Accessible Travel as the sphere in which travellers with limited mobility or disabilities can access travel options in a fully inclusive way. In this episode we explore the truth behind booking accessible travel holidays for travel agents and tourism oper...

Dolores Semeraro speaks to the Director General of Slovenia Ministry of Tourism Dubravka Kalin about the success story of destination Slovenia and how it became the sustainability most-copies and observed case study in Europe.On this episode Dubravka shares: The challenges faced growing and developing tourism industryThe best practices that everyone embracedThe shift in the type of tourists coming to the destinationWho does Slovenia look up to?and much more! Learn more about Slovenia her...

Truth Behind Travel Podcast Host Dolores Semeraro talks to Mark Duckmanton, co-founder and CEO of Path Net Zero on the carbon footprint of the tourism industry and shares the solutions provided by the platform. Path Net Zero provides Carbon Impact Correction solutions for travel, tourism and commercial organisations focused on CSR & ESG. This episode focuses on how the whole impact of of the travel experience can be measured and mitigated with the tools provided by the platform...

The GLOBAL COLLECTIVE FOR TRAVEL is a group of Destination Management Companies dedicated to true connections between the travellers and the destination. The Founders of The Global Collective for Travel Tuan Pham, Çağlar Gökgün and Pravin Tamang speak to host Dolores Semeraro about:The truth behind carbon offsettingCommunity tourism frameworksHow does greenwashing looks like so travellers can learn how to spot it For them, sustainability and community tourism are not just buzzwords–...

Founder Oriol Pamies shares the mission and the strategies behind the global success of Queer Destinations, leading LGBTQ+ tourism company that provides consulting and marketing strategies to destinations and tourism companies around the world on the LGBTQ+ travel segment.Oriol Pamies speaks to host Dolores Semeraro about how to actively promote your tourism and travel business across the LGBTQ+ segmentdevelop and implement responsible policies towards the LGTBQ+ people throug...