Last week the Transit Café brought you Forbes magazine's list of the 25 most influential women in travel, which was heavily US-driven.

Settle back and read the Café's list of Asia's most influential women in travel.

Here are eight women we feel justify the tag of being among the most influential in travel in this region. We're sure our list is not the definitive one, so please feel free to send in your nominations to: coffee@thetransitcafe.com

Jennie Chua, President & Chief Executive of the Ascott Group – the first woman hotelier in Asia to get out from under the shadow of male leaders to carve a name for herself. She saw the Raffles Hotel through its restoration, led Raffles International through its integration with Swissotel and saw it through its acquisition by Colony Capital and is now helming one of the world's fastest growing groups in self-service accommodation.

Her views are listened to and respected by those in power in Singapore, and her brand of humour, wit and intellectual weight make her outstanding in a sea of grey corporate-dom. A tad irreverent but always relevant, Jennie proves being different is alright.

"For women hoteliers, it is uncharted territory. We are almost like those pioneering women you see in wild west movies – so few of us, so many of them, and we have to make up our own rules as we go along." – Jennie Chua

Diana Ee Tan, managing director, Raffles Hotels & Resorts – she's stepped out from under the shadow of her former boss, Jennie Chua, to become a leader in her own right.

Under her, Raffles has grown its network by leaps and bounds and she is charged with bringing the iconic Raffles brand to a global audience. No short order but no one lives and breathes Raffles' values like Diana. Her style is less flamboyant than her predecessor's but she is as sharp and as disarming. Aways accessible and approachable, Diana's often seen with a smile but you know, there's substance and steel behind the smile.

"Raffles has always represented Singapore. It was writer Rudyard Kipling who said, ‘when at Raffles, why not visit Singapore?' Now that we are flying the Raffles flag in other countries, we can't help but promote Singapore." – Diana Ee Tan

Claire Chiang, director, Banyan Tree Holdings – Claire is the first one who'll tell you she wishes she weren't married to her husband, KP Ho, then she'd be taken far more seriously than she is. Claire's the one behind building up the Banyan Tree Gallery, which she does by travelling to the world's remotest locations and buying arts and crafts from indigenous peoples and supporting them in "responsible trade".

She's also the champion of Banyan Tree's CSR programme and in today's environment, where CSR is separating the good boys from the bad, Claire wields much influence in spreading responsible corporate citizenship everywhere Banyan Tree goes.

"All my different activities are united by this core of values - justice, feminism, community development, self-awareness." – Claire Chiang

Rainy Chan, general manager, The Peninsula Hong Kong – when she was appointed general manager of the group's most prestigious, established hotel, everyone went, what! Rainy's the blue-eyed person at the Peninsula Group and the fact that a woman who's worked her way up the ranks can rise in a traditional and conservative organisation like the Pen speaks wonders for her ability to lead and her determination to succeed.

She represents a younger generation of women who, when given the opportunity, can spread her influence beyond the four walls of the hotel she runs.

"In the business battlefield, being female or male does not matter." – Rainy Chan

Chong Phit Lian, CEO, Jetstar Asia – she came out of the blue to rock the low cost airline world. Armed with zero airline experience, her appointment in 2006 to replace a Qantas veteran, Ken Ryan, raised eyebrows. But Chong, who grew up from humble beginnings in Malaysia and worked her way up to run the Singapore Mint, her last job before Jetstar, proved her mettle.

On April 16, 2008, Jetstar announced it had gone into the back, ahead of target – it reported an increase of 20% in number of passengers carried and a passenger load factor of over 75%, an increase of 4% over the previous year. Chong will have to work even harder now to steer Jetstar through the turbulent times ahead but if history is a judge, she has more than enough willpower to make it through.

After her father passed away when she was a teenager, she became the breadwinner. "When my father was alive, he would give me pineapples and I would peel them, cut them up and sell them outside the house. So working was nothing new to me, and since I saw that I was the one capable of doing something, I just did it. I ate once a day, worked and studied."

Kathleen Tan, Vice President-Marketing, AirAsia – she was brought into the fold of AirAsia by former boss Tony Fernandes. She remembers receiving a phone call from Fernandes, saying, "Guess what I have done? Bought an airline." She thought he was joking. She ended up leaving her job at Warner Music and joining him. That episode speaks a lot of Kathleen, regarded as the marketing fuel behind Asia's most successful low cost airline – loyalty, daring and a sense of fun. Fernandes' the man with the red cap but Kathleen's the woman with the red cape.

"Our fares are cheap but nothing else about us needs to be cheap." – Kathleen Tan.

Pansy Ho, gaming magnate, property tycoon, budding airline mogul and heir apparent to father Stanley Ho's multi-billion-dollar gaming empire. One of Asia's most powerful businesswomen, Ho is a director of her father's Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau, whose flagship gaming arm is Sociedade de Jogos de Macau Holdings (SJM).

Lately, she has focused increasingly on her role as managing director of MGM Grand Paradise, just down the road from her father's iconic Lisboa.

Nandini Verma, Spent 25 years with India's Jet Airways transforming its image and bringing it to the class it is today. Now executive vice president, UB Group, of which Kingfisher Airlines is a part.

Also VP of the Asia Pacific Aviation Media Association, India chapter, and also on the board of the WTTC.

Yeoh Siew Hoon, one of Asia's most respected travel editors and commentators, writes a regular column on news, trends and issues in the hospitality industry for 4Hoteliers.com.

Siew Hoon, who has covered the tourism industry in Asia/Pacific for the past 20 years, runs SHY Ventures Pte Ltd. Her other writings can be found at www.thetransitcafe.com

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