Ekta Watts

CEO Equator Tours

Ekta Watts is a travel professional with over two decades plus to her credit in the travel industry. The only lady Executive Member in ADTOI and the Chairperson for its Women Empowerment and CRS wing. Ekta is a crusader for women’s empowerment, and instrumental in initiating the position of a LEO in each of the 10 chapters of ADTOI.

Committed to enhancing and highlighting women’s power and contribution in the travel industry, Ekta’s efforts were to identify key women from various ADTOI chapters and empower them with product knowledge, soft skills, and social media expertise. Mother of triplet daughters, Ekta feels herself to be the luckiest mother and believes that the only way to be a successful woman is to be a strong woman.

“As the Chairperson of the Women Empowerment and CSR Wing and with the support of other Governing Body Members of ADTOI, we created the position of a LEO– Lady Entrepreneur Officer in 2019. This pioneering step was taken with the mission to connect and empower women in tourism and also give a boost to tourism.”

Her efforts have resulted in an exclusive Facebook Page and Instagram account for ADTOI lady members last year, where ADTOI lady members are encouraged to promote their business and network with other members. She has also reached out to the budding and future women tourism professionals by initiating online training lectures to encourage more women to join the tourism sector and acquaint them with the finer nuances of the tourism industry.

She has initiated efforts to raise many more issues and concerns affecting women in the tourism industry like equal pay for women professionals, respect for intellectual investment in an organization, maternity leave concerns, liberty of working online for women, sensitisation on acceptance of a lady professional’s balance between work and family and a safe work environment.

According to Ekta, delegating is crucial as a leader. It facilitates teamwork, promotes better decisionmaking, and inspires and motivates the team members at various levels. It is very crucial for healthy work culture, a work environment where employees feel valued, comfortable and flush with growth opportunities.

Next Vacation: Visiting her family in the US and London. She also looks forward to visiting Canada for her a wedding celebration.