Community Homestay Network CEO Aayusha Prasain took part in the inaugural Women Leading Travel Asia Global Leadership Exchange, held on 28 April 2026 at the Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel. The invitation-only, sold-out gathering brought together senior women leaders from across aviation, hospitality, destinations, and technology for an afternoon of executive dialogue, peer connection, and leadership insight — marking Women Leading Travel's first-ever expansion of the Exchange series into Asia.
The program opened with welcome remarks from Skift President Carolyn Kremins and Women Leading Travel Vice President Hannah DeMaio, followed by a fireside chat, "What It Means to Lead in Asia Now," featuring Shalini Rao, Chief Marketing Officer of Bangalore International Airport, in conversation with Kremins.
Aayusha joined the afternoon's centerpiece panel, "Rewriting the Rules of Travel Leadership," moderated by Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia. She shared the stage with Narawadee Bualert, Founder and President of lebua Hotels & Resorts, and Nadia Zahir Omer, CEO of AirAsia MOVE, for a candid conversation on leadership, resilience, and driving impact across one of the world's most dynamic travel regions. The exchange also featured a Member Moment with Laura Houldsworth, Managing Director and Vice President – Asia Pacific of Booking.com, along with peer roundtables on technology, global expansion, sustainability, luxury travel, and policy, and a closing Spotlight Talks session highlighting emerging voices across APAC travel.
For Community Homestay Network, the Exchange was a meaningful opportunity to bring Nepal's community-led, women-driven approach to tourism into conversation with senior leaders shaping the future of travel across Asia — reinforcing that responsible, inclusive tourism belongs at the center of the industry's next chapter.