That was the message Ella Paradis, director and founder of The Black Explorer magazine, had for the International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum 2022.

“It’s the white man going to explore in the 1800s and writing it up in the journal… that still permeates in the travel industry - we are the civiliser going out to explore.” 

She said phrases like “colonial charm,” needed ejecting, adding that there was “still a lot of work to be done,” to make travel more attractive to an ethnically diverse workforce. 

Paradis also suggested that travel companies address where they are advertising their roles to help diversify their recruitment, including looking for groups formed by diverse communities on places like LinkedIn.

The forum also heard how recent University of Surrey research had busted myths around BAME travellers. 

Senior teaching fellow Dr. Sumeetra Ramakrishnan said the assumption that they would travel to visit friends and relatives was a cliché and “they want to explore”.

However, she said they felt they had to consider their physical safety in destinations more than white travellers, which meant they were less able to be impulsive.

The research also noted the lack of representation in marketing. “If you get people from different communities into the conversation it’s that much easier,” Ramakrishnan advised.

Speaking about the role of allies within diversity and inclusion, Toby Horry, group brand director at TUI, described how following the race-related murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests, he had set up a Zoom conversation for staff to discuss the topic.  

The success of this format has led to an ongoing series called Conversations About Diversity and Inclusion.

“Often it’s not big, grand gestures but small everyday things you can do to make a difference,” he said.