The 2024 Titans of Tourism
In an industry filled with entrepreneurs, creative operators and talented marketers, there are a few who not only keep their finger on the pulse of the travel business but also are a driving force behind the heartbeat of their niche. These Titans of Tourism help guide and shape our industry in numerous ways, from supervising associations and building communities, to developing innovative tools and creative applications for existing practices. Leisure Group Travel has sought out three such Titans and asked them to share with us their insight on the changes and trends within their organizations and how it affects our industry at large.
These Luminaries are Developing Innovative Tools and Creative Applications to Help the Travel Industry Flourish
Goway
Shirley Rourke
Shirley Rourke is a passionate travel industry veteran and avid traveler with over 30 years of experience specializing in long-haul travel. Having worked across various sectors of the industry— including education, groups, inbound, retail, and wholesale—Shirley found her true professional home at Goway, where she has been a dedicated member of the team for the past 25 years.
Throughout her tenure at Goway, Shirley has played a key role in the company’s growth, overseeing and managing divisions that expanded the company’s offerings in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. Currently, as Vice President of GroupsOnly, she is leading the division to new heights, continuing to shape the future of group travel with her expertise and commitment to excellence.
Women Traveling Together
Debra Asberry
Debra Asberry has spent the past 27 years immersed in the solo female travel market. A self-taught marketer and database applications programmer, Asberry used these skills and her business acumen to guide her company – Women Traveling Together® (WTT) – from an idea to the largest women-only accredited tour operator in North America. Women Traveling Together will operate 130+ multi-day tours in the US and internationally in 2025, exclusively serving women traveling without a companion (i.e. solo).
Her formal education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics & Physics from Clemson University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Loyola College.
As the 2022 Chair of the National Tour Association Board of Directors, Debra contributed substantively to the recovery of the association post-Covid. In 2024 her industry peers gave her the Women of Vision Award for her contributions to the National Tour Association and to the travel industry.
Outside of work Debra Asberry is regularly invited to speak about women-only travel, solo group travel and solo-friendly travel. She has been a competitive swimmer from childhood and still takes her swimming seriously.
Collette
Jaclyn Leibl-Cote
Jaclyn Leibl-Cote is the CEO and President of Collette, the company’s first female CEO in its 106-year history. She leads the Executive and Strategic Leadership Teams, focusing on creating extraordinary travel experiences. Jaclyn, a Collette veteran of 18 years, has held various leadership roles and steered the company through the global pandemic. She holds a BA in Communications from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA from Babson College. An advocate for women’s health, she chairs the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Executive Leadership Committee. Jaclyn’s favorite place is New Zealand, and she loves being a mother to her three children.
