Industry Luminary Gloria Bohan Awarded ASTA’s First-Ever Icon Award

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) this week honored Omega World Travel Founder and CEO Gloria Bohan with its first-ever Icon Award.

The award recognizes women who have made “significant contributions” to the advancement of women in the industry.  It was created by ASTA in order to honor the female leaders—owners, advisors, supplier partners, and more—who have not only succeeded in their own careers but inspired and empowered other women in the industry to do the same.

Bohan, who sponsors ASTA’s Entrepreneur of the Year award at its Global Convention each year, was named the honoree because of her work not only at Omega but as a “trailblazer and a strong advocate for women’s empowerment” in the industry, ASTA said. That includes creating the Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF) within Omega, a platform that allows women to network and receive mentorship and guidance in the industry.

Bohan, a former schoolteacher, opened the first Omega World Travel, an independent storefront agency, in 1972. She drummed up business by going door to door, looking for clients, and gathering information.

The list of accomplishments that Bohan and Omega have assembled is too many to count. Among them, Omega was the first private agency to manage government travel, the first to install airline reservation terminals on client premises, and the first to install an automated low-fare quality-control system.