The travel industry is typically concerned with any travel from one place to another. It covers everything from booking tickets, accommodation, food and drinks, entertainment, transportation (during the trip) and other travel services. These happen to be the sectors of the travel and tourism industry. This industry contributes around £106 billion to the total GDP and economy of the UK. It is currently the primary income source for 3.8 million people, which is not a small number.
“The travel industry is overwhelmingly female, with an estimated 70 per cent of the workforce women. But at the top, it’s still mostly male-dominated, although that’s changing..” (Lindsay Nelson, CEO, TripAdvisor 2022) The exclusivity of this issue does not just revolve around the travel industry, and although it is a welcoming industry for everyone, it still faces this problem.
Importance of Diversity and Inclusivity
While the lack of diversity continues to be one of the industry's top concerns, some women have outgrown these factors that try to annihilate the professional growth of a working woman. These women have maintained consistency and have shown determination toward their passion. The key, as these women leaders say, is confidence, boldness, patience and high-risk tolerance because every male-dominating business becomes a platform for the women employees as a platform to prove themselves time and again.
Some businesses and companies in the travel industry are women-led and therefore respect diversity within the organisation differently. This is because they have a woman as their role model, which is an influential factor for the employees. It makes them more open-minded and understanding in multiple ways and appreciates women. Companies like TripAdvisor, Trip.com, Celebrity Cruises, JetBlue, Hilton, Expedia etc. are either female-run or have played a significant role in building the company into what it is today.
Women change how a company or firm is during a crisis or uncertainty. It is often considered that women aren't the ideal decision-makers when it comes to business, but the reality is that they are very driven and have proven to be better decision-makers in most cases. “Women make the spending decisions when it comes to family travel. We must see more women in senior positions in the travel industry.” (Julia Simpson, CEO and President of World Travel and Tourism Council, 2022)
Comments of significant people in the Industry
“If the travel industry is intent on rebuilding from the ground up, then it must reconstruct with women, who—despite being a majority of travellers and comprising the lion’s share of the tourism workforce—are still largely treated as novelty and niche.” (AFAR, 2021) It has become an issue ever since the pandemic, but this is the chance to rebuild the environmental and economic stability of the industry. Women being the highest number of travellers and a fairly good amount as working professionals in the industry, still tend to face complications when it comes to proper treatment.
“Travellers can support women by buying travel experiences from women-owned companies, visiting women-owned businesses and simply interacting with men and women when travelling because it is through interaction with people that we can change perception and build bridges and equality.” (Malia Asfour, Director, JTBNA) In reality, regardless of the number of females in the travel industry, the mindset of an entire batch becomes a task to change. There are issues regarding gender parity everywhere in the world, but the idea is to maintain equality, not just in numbers, but also in the mind.
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