REPORT: Gender diversity in the travel industry

Businesses around the world often say that diversity and inclusion are core company values of theirs not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because leaders increasingly recognize that more diverse and inclusive workforces can give their companies a competitive edge.

However, a huge gap often exists among those very leaders in terms of understanding what’s necessary for creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and how to keep it that way.

For one, it’s not always exactly clear what we mean when we refer to diversity and inclusion (D&I).

As valued as these concepts are to businesses around the world, the definition of what it means to be a diverse and inclusive workplace can differ widely from company to company, and from industry to industry.

While diversity and inclusion are often lumped together, they’re not one and the same.

The travel and tourism industry is somewhat better than most industries in terms of working toward gender equality.

The majority of the global tourism workforce is comprised of women (54%) compared to 39% in the broader economy, according to the World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) recently released Global Report on Women in Tourism.

But there is still room for improvement: The same UNWTO report also found that women “remain concentrated in low-level employment and are poorly represented at higher professional levels.”

While this report will examine gender diversity in the travel and tourism industry, the principles we’ll cover are not limited to gender diversity alone.

PhocusWire produced this report in association with Expedia Group. It features interviews with numerous brands around the industry and includes a foreword from the company's Melissa Maher (chief inclusion officer and senior vice president for marketing and industry engagement) and Lauren von Stackleberg (global head of inclusion and diversity).

The report is available below or download here.