Michelle Jie Gao
Reserving.com Regional Supervisor
Earlier than becoming a member of the journey {industry} in 2009, Michelle Jie Gao labored in public service jobs at ICC China Banking Fee and TnJ Codev Guide.
She began because the Supervisor of Lodge CRM Options with TripAdvisor, serving to it broaden its presence in China upon its preliminary entry into the nation. She then moved to Reserving.com, serving to onboard hundreds of lodges on-line.
Gao was working for worldwide corporations like TripAdvisor and Reserving.com when many journey gamers in China had been cautious concerning the impression international corporations would have on the nation’s journey panorama. Because of this, Gao helped native companies corresponding to boutique lodges and conventional courtyard guesthouses get a possibility to capitalize on the journey increase.
By 2020, she had expanded her work throughout the Mekong area and was supporting journey companions in Thailand and Vietnam to rethink their methods in additional sustainable and resilient methods. In response to Reserving.com, Gao’s early efforts contributed to Thailand’s restoration as a vacation spot in Asia-Pacific after the pandemic.
“Journey isn’t nearly crossing borders, however in shifting views. Once we empower communities to share their tales, vacationers don’t simply go to locations, they join with function,” Gao instructed Skift.
Numerous her focus has been on initiatives that promote sustainable journey and inclusion. For instance, Gao partnered with tourism boards, lodges, and advocacy teams to facilitate for over 1,200 companions workshops offering insights and sustainable practices that may be simply integrated. She additionally urged her groups to undertake inclusive hospitality practices and Reserving.com’s LGBTQ+ community-focused program Journey Proud, which is a coaching and sensitization program for lodging suppliers.
“This wasn’t about guidelines or pandering to what’s present, it was about respect. When a homestay proprietor proudly shows they’re a Journey Proud property, or a resort reduces plastic use by 90%, that’s how we measure progress,” she mentioned.
Throughout Thailand’s post-pandemic restoration, Gao built-in Thailand’s entry pre-registration system for foreigners throughout Covid Thailand Cross program on Reserving.com in an effort to streamline the expertise for companions in addition to guests. She additionally sponsored the APAC chapter of Reserving.com’s worker useful resource group B.Proud to take care of a tradition of openness, inclusion and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
Gao now makes use of her experience to information the subsequent technology of journey innovators via mentorship packages and cross-industry partnerships. She instructed Skift, “The way forward for journey isn’t formed by lone visionaries. It’s constructed by curious minds who ask, ‘How can we make journeys extra significant for everybody they contact?’”
– Bulbul Dhawan
