INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 08th March 2024
International Women’s Day was first celebrated on February 28, 1908 in New York by The Socialist party of USA. In 1910 Clara Zetkin of German Socialist Party appealed to the delegates of Social Women’s conference in Copenhagen to set a date for the women’s day. Finally the Russian provisional party set the date as 8 March in 1917 to be celebrated as Women’s Day.
This year 2024 The International Women’s Day theme has been Inspire Inclusion meaning to Inspire others to understand value and seek out inclusion.
Nepal opened the door for tourists in mid fifties and the first hotel,
Hotel Royal had only male staff. That was because the conservative society of Nepal discouraged women to work outside their home premises. In the 70s, room maids were rare. Women were basically employed as telephone operators, house keepers and reception. After 80s Women took a Great Leap Forward and things changed radically in favor of Women. The Tourism industry has become one of the highest employer of Women in Nepal.
Barahi Hospitality and leisure has always encouraged active female participation in all our hotels. Currently our women staff totals 34 percent in number and we have 10 ladies in Managerial position.
We have also encouraged local female participation in all our properties and we have started to elevate females to posts which at one time were exclusively male domination. For example we have two female naturalists in Barahi Jungle Lodge, our Chitwan property as employees. The two girls are local residents of Chitwan and have been meticulously trained by the seniors, to the extent that they are now capable of taking over the responsibility. Apart from few free lancers these girls are the only employed naturalists in Chitwan.
In order to train the staff force for future managerial position both male and female ,we have launched the following activities in which the female employees are encouraged to actively participate.
- Story Telling :Every month Managers irrespective of gender share their experience which in fact is a learning experience from the successes and failure of their senior counterpart.
- Corporate Games: Trust building exercise to facilitate stronger connection and favorable working environment and Team spirit.
- Shadowing and mentorship programs: Promising young talents are paired with mentors. This offers them a first hand exposure and aids in their professional development.
4. Engagement in CSR: The female employees are encouraged to participate in various activities like blood donation programs, providing relief materials for earthquake victims among others.
We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming celebration for International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8th March 2024, where we’ll be honoring the incredible contributions of our female employees. This special event at the hotel is a heartfelt thank you for their dedication and hard work.
From the crawling stage of 50s, women participation in Nepal
Tourism has come a long way despite the difficult road. Barahi Hospitality and Leisure looks forward to an optimistic future for women in the Travel trade.
