Truth Behind Travel Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

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Truth Behind Travel Podcast

Dolores Semeraro

Society & Culture

Leisure

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/23d. Total Eps: 89

Dolores Semeraro hosts Truth Behind Travel Podcast.

Truth Behind Travel Podcast is a comprehensive series of bespoke interviews with tourism industry leaders to support the travel and tourism industry as they build a more innovative and resilient future of travel.

The show has a distinct focus on the future of travel and highlights industry insiders’ knowledge, as well as hidden gems of travel wisdom from all around the world.

Bringing 20 years of travel and hospitality experience to the show, host Dolores Semeraro fuels a much-needed conversation on tourism, sustainability and resilience and how we can encourage the travel industry players to become better operators.

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http://www.doloressemeraro.com
89 shares
https://thetravelrecoverymethod.com/foursteps
44 shares
https://www.doloressemeraro.com/about/
43 shares

https://www.instagram.com/dolores_semeraro
15 shares
https://www.instagram.com/truthbehindtravelpodcast
9 shares
https://www.instagram.com/laurean_sahilices
2 shares

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RSS feed quality

Good

Score global : 78%

Publication history

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10 New Travel & Tourism Words That Define 2026 Travel Trends

Season 5 · Episode 84

Saturday, January 24, 2026 • Duration 24:20

In today’s episode, as we all brace for what will be a busy year in travel and tourism, I took a little ‘fun’ time to observe the travel trends we will be witnessing in 2026.

Some were new, some others not so much, but it was good to bring them back to light – or like in trend n.7 to actually switch off that light.

Trends are signs of major shifts in people’s preferences, values, behaviors but the funny thing is that with them, new words come to life, which we use to define and describe the nature of the travel trends – so on today’s episode, we will observe 10 new words in the travel sphere that are underlying a significant travel trend worth of notice.

Bibliography of this episode's content is included in the transcript.

Host of Truth Behind Travel Podcast, Dolores Semeraro is a sought-after international tourism keynote speaker and sustainable tourism marketing professional.

Dolores actively works in the tourism and travel conference space as a keynote speaker and moderator, gracing the stages of international tourism summits and trade shows.

As a professional keynote speaker, Dolores’ speaking topics encompass sustainability in tourism, digital marketing and how to identify today’s traveler’s needs through technology and innovation.

5 years ago, Dolores launched her podcast show named ‘Truth Behind Travel Podcast’ where she regularly interviews tourism and travel industry leaders and representatives on how to rebuild the future of travel.

www.doloressemeraro.com

dolores@doloressemeraro.com

Instagram @dolores_semeraro

LinkedIn @dolores.sem

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Redefining Travel Conferences: The Future of Content, Connection, and Tech with Brooke Gilbertson

Season 4 · Episode 83

Thursday, October 23, 2025 • Duration 36:31

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 of innovation, creativity and technology.

WTM London 4-6 November 2025

ATM Dubai 4-7 May 2026

Questions featured in this episode:

1. How is technology affecting the event industry today - what do you keep what do you not keep?

2. What is it that attendees can do at the show that can’t do by themselves?

3. How do you stay above the buzz words?

4. How do you ensure that there is genuine interaction with the content that is being delivered on stage?

5. How do you appeal to a more senior audience, the CEOs the trade show people?

6. stressing the point of DEA - how do you make sure that the conference topics and the trade show attendance are aligned?

7. Travel power theme - how did the concept of the theme came about?

Experiential Hospitality at its best with Catarina Varão

Season 4 · Episode 74

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 • Duration 34:30

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, PTO (nor just “CEO” jack of all trades) of the company TH2 and founder of the luxury hotel soft brand UniqueStays. Graduated in Tourism Management, postgraduate in Tourism Products, Master in Hotel Management with Character and PhD in Geography.

On this episode:

The Importance of Guest Experience

The value of “time” in the hospitality industry and the need to focus on guest experience, where even small activities can make a significant impact on guest experience if done with dedication.
The loss of human touch in industrialized and standardized hospitality practices.

Sustainability and Local Involvement

The challenges of industrializing and standardizing hospitality, emphasizing the importance of local community involvement, calling out The McDonaldization of the world and the rise of small boutique hotels.
The importance of involving local communities in decision-making processes and the need to respect local habits and traditions while teaching sustainable practices.

Authenticity vs. Staged Experiences

The difference between authentic and staged experiences with the importance of raw moments over uber-staged experiences that repel tourists rather than attract them.
The importance of genuine interactions and experiences in creating a memorable guest experience.

Connect with Catarina on:

Heart-led Leadership in Travel and The Power of Community with Women Travel Leaders

Season 4 · Episode 73

Friday, February 7, 2025 • Duration 40:14

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 Leaders
Core Mission and Community Building of the network
Women Empowerment and Leadership in the Travel Industry
Heart-Centered Leadership and Community Support
Future Vision and Growth of Women Travel Leaders

Women Travel Leaders supports high performing purpose driven travel business leaders grow their travel businesses in less time by fostering a community of empowered, purpose-driven and heart-led leaders who prioritise authenticity and impact above all else.

Together, through online and global in-person events, community lead learning, and peer to peer support, we create the conditions for trusted connections that foster mutual support that lead to new business opportunities.

Are you ready to start thriving in your travel business and your life through connecting with a powerful community that truly has your back?

Join the waiting list and mention Dolores in the Referrer name to first access when applications open again and receive 25% off your first year of membership.

How To Build the Mindset of a Changemaker in Tourism with Aradhana Khowala

Season 4 · Episode 72

Friday, January 24, 2025 • Duration 41:18

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, and public and private organisations seeking regenerative tourism development solutions and Prior to her current role, she served as the Managing Director of Tourism at NEOM, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

She pioneers environmental regeneration and social transformation across her diverse range of global roles and responsibilities.

SUMMARY

They highlight the lack of progress in gender parity, noting that only 8 out of 78 world leaders at COP29 were women, despite a 1% increase in female participation. Khowala emphasizes the need for structural changes, investment, and accountability to drive gender diversity and sustainability. They also discuss the potential of women in leadership roles, the importance of inclusive systems, and the challenges of greenwashing in regenerative tourism. Khowala advocates for bold, transformative actions and the integration of regenerative practices into tourism's financial models.

Gender Representation in COP 29
Challenges and Strengths of Women in Tourism
Embracing Sustainability Roles
Solutions for Increasing Women's Representation
Challenges in Tourism Destinations
Regenerative Tourism and Women Leaders
Preventing Greenwashing in Regenerative Tourism
The Role of Vision and Innovation
Final Thoughts and Future Directions

The paradigm shift we need to define the future of tourism with Anna Pollock

Season 4 · Episode 71

Monday, January 6, 2025 • Duration 57:21

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, emphasizing community involvement, local pride, and sustainable practices.

Talking to Dolores Semeraro, Anna Pollock called for a paradigm shift in thinking, stressing the importance of ecological literacy, community responsibility, and the need for political leadership to align with sustainable tourism goals.

Connect with Anna Pollock here.

Truth Behind Travel Podcast is sponsored by “Women Travel Leaders”

Women Travel Leaders is a community that supports high performing purpose driven travel business leaders grow their travel businesses in less time by fostering a community of heart-led leaders who prioritise authenticity and impact above all else.

Through global online and in-person events, community lead learning, and peer to peer support, Women Travel Leaders creates the conditions for trusted connections that foster mutual support that lead to new business opportunities.

Are you ready to start thriving in your travel business and your life through connecting with a powerful community that truly has your back?

Follow this link mention DOLORES in the Referrer name to first access when applications open again and receive 25% off your first year of membership.

____________________________

Welcome to Truth Behind Travel Podcast a platform for tourism, travel and hospitality professionals and enthusiasts to share, learn and unlearn what we need to create better tourism, protect the environment and become better humans.

How to Find your Voice in Travel, Evolve and Connect with others - in conversation with Lola Akinmade Åkerström

Season 4 · Episode 70

Sunday, December 15, 2024 • Duration 33:02

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 Lola

Truth Behind Travel Podcast is sponsored by “Women Travel Leaders”

Are you ready to start thriving in your travel business and your life through connecting with a powerful community that truly has your back?

I am your host Dolores Semeraro and every week I bring on the podcast the voices of those out there making a difference, to learn the hard truths behind the world of travel and tourism, what works and what we can collectively do better.

Tourism & Travel: How to nail The Art of Gift Giving your business partners

Season 4 · Episode 69

Friday, December 15, 2023 • Duration 26:07

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, it’s almost impossible to escape the commercial side of things and the urge of buying gifts for the ones we love, the ones we work with, the boss or anyone else for that matter nowadays.

So today’s podcast episode is dedicated to the art of gifting, particularly in the hospitality and tourism industry.

How do we gift a business partner? A client of the travel agency, an attendees of our trade and tourism event, a guest of our hotel?

And most importantly

What do we gift them with? A branded pen? A notebook? So much in the gifting arena has been said and done, so today, when eco-friendly materials and renewable energies are becoming one of the key decision factors in whether a gift is successful or not, wrapping up a branded item is simply not enough.

My guest today is an expert in the art of gifting, particularly when it comes to corporate branded gift in the travel and hospitality industry. Mr. Josh Filer.

Josh is the Director of D&S Travel Supplies, a specialist in promotional gifts and branded merchandise based in the UK.

With Josh we are going to discuss how the art of gifting in the corporate world has changed over the years, what are people asking and how we can come up with the perfect gift for the perfect occasion, a process that he calls ‘the journey’.

Host of Truth Behind Travel Podcast, Dolores Semeraro is a sought-after international tourism keynote speaker and sustainable tourism marketing professional. Dolores actively works in the tourism and travel conference space as a keynote speaker and moderator, gracing the stages of international tourism summits and trade shows.

From Accessible Travel to Inclusive Travel Today

Season 4 · Episode 68

Sunday, November 19, 2023 • Duration 46:59

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 operators. In particular we discuss:

1. The Educational Sphere around Accessible Travel: the training needed amongst the tourism operators in order to deliver great travel experiences for travellers with limited mobilities or disabilities.

2. The Supply Chain and all the parts involved in delivering the perfect travel experience: from the travel enquiry to the accommodation, the transport and all the logistics.

3. The Hotel experience and how can hotel rooms & suites be more accessible and inclusive without compromising the look and feel of the space.

4. Normalise Accessible Travel and the conversations we have both with the clients and the suppliers: how do we shift from accessible to inclusive.

5. The Business Volume: is it big enough to prompt more investments and much needed changes?

6. The role of Governments and the public authorities in tourism and travel in Accessible Travel, where do the private operators feel supported and where, instead, lack of support negatively impacts the outcome of the travel experience.

The Podcast guests:

Ali Parker - personal travel consultant with Travel Counsellors, a global award-winning travel professionals’ network.

Ali has more than 20 years’ experience in making holidays and travel accessible and inclusive to all, and ever passionate on how to create holidays and travel that meet the need of travellers with even the most complex access and mobility requirements.

Ali is going to take us on a journey to when Accessible Travel was not even a thing to a world where traveling on a wheelchair is not a privilege but a right.

Slovenia Sustainability Success Story

Season 4 · Episode 67

Friday, October 6, 2023 • Duration 36:26

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 industry
The best practices that everyone embraced
The shift in the type of tourists coming to the destination
Who does Slovenia look up to?

and much more!

Learn more about Slovenia here: https://www.slovenia.info/en

www.doloressemeraro.com

dolores@doloressemeraro.com

Instagram @dolores_semeraro

LinkedIn @dolores.sem

Truth Behind Travel Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Truth Behind Travel Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

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