Omega World Travel Founder Gloria Bohan Named Finalist for Prestigious Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Mid-Atlantic Award

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) has announced Gloria Bohan of Omega World Travel as a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Mid-Atlantic Award, highlighting her significant contributions to the travel management sector. This recognition matters because it spotlights the evolving landscape of Northern Virginia's business community, where entrepreneurial success stories like Bohan's demonstrate how local enterprises can achieve global reach through innovation and strategic vision. The award, celebrating its 40th year, honors entrepreneurs who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and community impact, making Bohan's selection particularly significant for the region's economic narrative.

Bohan was selected from 36 finalists by an independent panel of judges, recognizing her entrepreneurial spirit and the substantial growth of Omega World Travel. The company has evolved from a single-person office to a global full-service travel management organization serving corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, and educational institutions. This transformation underscores the potential for businesses in Northern Virginia to scale dramatically while maintaining their local roots, serving as an inspiration for other entrepreneurs in Fairfax, Arlington, and surrounding counties who aspire to build enterprises with both regional impact and international presence.

Omega World Travel offers comprehensive travel management services, including business travel arrangements for domestic and international transportation, meeting and conference management, group air arrangements, VIP services, and strategic consulting. The company also owns Cruise.com, a prominent online cruise booking platform, and Travtech, a travel technology development firm. This diversified portfolio demonstrates how traditional service businesses can evolve through strategic acquisitions and technological innovation, creating a business model that combines established travel management with cutting-edge digital platforms.

In her reflective statement about the nomination, Bohan emphasized the importance of continuous growth, innovation, and collaborative success. She views her entrepreneurial journey as a representation of the American Dream, highlighting her commitment to purpose-driven business leadership. This perspective matters because it reinforces the values that drive successful entrepreneurship in the Northern Virginia region, where business leaders increasingly recognize that sustainable growth requires balancing profit with purpose, innovation with tradition, and individual achievement with community contribution.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates business leaders who demonstrate ingenuity and courage across various entrepreneurial paths, including founders who bootstrapped their businesses, transformational CEOs, and multigenerational family business leaders. Regional award winners will be announced on June 18 in Washington, DC, with winners becoming lifetime members of a global alumni community. Subsequent national judging will determine potential national award recipients, who will be honored at the annual Strategic Growth Forum in November. This recognition carries implications for the broader business ecosystem in Northern Virginia, as it validates the region's capacity to produce world-class entrepreneurial talent and reinforces its reputation as a hub for innovative business leadership.

As a woman-owned travel management company, Omega World Travel represents a significant milestone in diversity and leadership within the travel industry, showcasing the potential for innovative entrepreneurship to drive meaningful business transformation. This matters because it challenges traditional industry norms and demonstrates how diverse leadership perspectives can create competitive advantages in traditionally male-dominated sectors. Bohan's recognition serves as both inspiration and validation for other women entrepreneurs in Northern Virginia who are building businesses that combine professional excellence with personal values, proving that leadership diversity contributes directly to business innovation and market success.