For decades, she was a key figure in Spain's travel agency association movement. Those who shared part of her professional journey remember her as a woman of enormous character and commitment, but also as someone who paved the way for many who came after her.
There are professionals whose careers are measured by the positions they held, and others whose true stature becomes apparent when those who worked alongside them begin to share their memories. In the case of Susana Tomás Silvestre, both are inextricably linked.
. These were decisive years for the sector's associations, in an era very different from today, when women were still far less commonly seen in positions of responsibility.CEAV). These were decisive years for the sector's associations, in a very different era than today, when the presence of women in positions of responsibility was still much less common.
Following her recent passing, I wanted to remember Susana through the memories of those of us who knew her, and especially those who shared many years of work and friendship with her. Mercedes Tejero, who was by her side since 1996, and Rafael Gallego, who worked closely with her during her time leading FEAAV, help to reconstruct the professional and personal dimensions of a woman who left a profound mark on the travel agency association.
A presence that did not go unnoticed
For Mercedes Tejero, her story with Susana began in March 1996. It was Susana who interviewed her for the job that would open the door to a fundamental chapter in her professional life.
“I was struck by her personality, strength and personal style,” Mercedes recalls. She describes her as an “extraordinary” woman: strong-minded, hardworking and deeply committed to the Federation.
Susana, she explains, had a presence that was impossible to ignore. From the very first moment, she conveyed that she had clear ideas, knew what she wanted and was willing to work tirelessly to achieve it.
That commitment went far beyond fulfilling a professional responsibility. According to Mercedes, Susana had a deep sense of belonging: the Federation wasn't simply her workplace, but something she felt was her own.
She knew the sector, strongly defended her views and also understood that behind the companies, associations and acronyms were people.
When forging a path was much more difficult
The role Susana Tomás played as a woman in the sector emerges naturally from the testimonies gathered by Skål Synergy.
Eva recalls that when she joined the sector in 2004, under the guidance of her father, Vicente Blasco Infante, the association of travel agencies was still fragmented among organizations such as ADEAVE and FEAAV. Although her personal memories of Susana are more limited, the references she received about her were constant.
One aspect stands out in particular: FEAAV had been a pioneer in promoting the presence of women, with two professionals whom Eva considers role models for those who later became involved in the world of professional associations: Susana Tomás and Matilde Torres.
“For many of us, Susana is someone we can look up to and who reminds us that it is possible,” says Eva.
Mercedes agrees with this aspect of her legacy. She recalls a time when it was far less common to find women in positions of responsibility and with a strong voice in professional and institutional circles.
Susana didn't need to constantly claim that role. She already played it.
She had authority, her own judgement and the confidence to defend her views in a predominantly male environment. She made herself heard and earned respect.
For the women who came after her, seeing her conduct herself in that way was also a lesson: through her actions, she showed that they too could hold positions of responsibility, make decisions and have their own voice within tourism.
Commitment, high standards, and generosity
Mercedes experienced first-hand Susana's high standards and generosity during the many years they worked together.
From that job interview in March 1996 onwards, Mercedes learned from her professionally and shared a fundamental stage of her career with her. Susana's strong personality was matched by an unwavering commitment to the Federation and to the people who were part of it.
That work ethic is also one of the qualities Rafael Gallego, president of FEAAV from 2008 to 2013, remembers most clearly. From that position, he was able to witness first-hand the experience and knowledge Susana had accumulated over many years within the organisation.
Rafael particularly remembers her enormous capacity for work, her assertive and constructive nature, and the support she gave him thanks to her experience. During those years, Susana was also involved in some of the issues that shaped the Federation's work, including the negotiation of agreements and frameworks governing relationships within the sector.
Eva offers a complementary perspective on this generational continuity. Although she had little direct contact with Susana, she points to Mercedes as one of the professionals who was able to embrace and carry forward her legacy within the travel agency association movement.
It is precisely this continuity that helps us understand that a professional's legacy does not end when she leaves a position. It also lives on in the people she taught, opened doors for and helped to grow.
The person behind the professional
Mercedes also discovered the more personal side of this strong-willed, demanding woman with such a powerful personality.
Mercedes remembers her as “a wonderful person, always looking out for everyone around her”.
The relationship that began in 1996 wasn't purely professional. Over the years, Mercedes and Susana also built a very close and affectionate personal bond. That's why Mercedes finds it difficult to choose just one anecdote: her memories are a collection of arguments, lessons learned, laughter and unexpected situations. With Susana, things were never dull. There was intensity and authenticity.
However, there is one memory that Mercedes holds particularly dear and that probably tells us much more about Susana than any professional position ever could.
When Pablo, Mercedes' son, was born, Susana was the first person to change his nappy in the hospital.
A small, everyday gesture that, almost thirty years later, still remains part of her memories.
Eva offers another equally personal perspective. Her direct relationship with Susana was less extensive, but she remembers what she heard from her father: Vicente Blasco Infante admired and respected Susana.
"For me, that says it all," he summarizes.
A legacy for those who come after
To speak of Susana Tomás is also to speak of a generation that helped build and strengthen Spain's travel agency association movement through enormous personal commitment.
Mercedes believes that new generations can find in her a particular way of approaching work: committing fully, standing up for what you believe in, expressing your own ideas and taking responsibility.
But her message is particularly relevant to young women who are now beginning their professional careers.
Many of the positions that seem perfectly natural for women to hold today were once occupied by women who had to forge their own path in very different circumstances.
Susana was one of them.
Eva complements this perspective by summing up that generational legacy with a phrase that runs through many of the memories gathered for this tribute:
«"Susana showed us that it can be done.".
And he adds one last thank you:
“Susana showed us that it can be done.”
The industry's recognition of her contribution was once again evident just days after her passing. The CEAV General Assembly, held on 3 September, began with a minute's silence in memory of Susana Tomás, a gesture that reflected the respect she had earned after decades of involvement in the travel agency association movement.
Those of us who knew Susana know that behind that powerful personality there was much more than a great professional. Mercedes's memories also allow us to discover another side of Susana: the friend, the colleague and the woman who stood by those she loved.
Her legacy lives on in the people she taught, mentored and helped along the way, as well as in the memories of those of us who had the privilege of knowing her.
