Speaking at the ITT conference on Tuesday (3 June), easyJet holidays chief executive Garry Wilson and Tui marketing and sales director Bart Quinton Smith agreed travel’s talent pipeline was dependent on firms embedding DEI, sustainability and other responsible tourism practices in their operations.

Conference moderator Ayesha Hazarika asked Wilson if it was something potential employees were bringing up, whereby he revealed all easyJet holidays employees have their own sustainability objectives. "They just wouldn’t join otherwise," he told delegates. "It’s no longer an aside. It has to be in everyone’s DNA – it’s integral to how we operate."

Wilson said "the big kicker" for new entrants was understanding the social impact travel can have on people and communities. "That’s really important to the people we’ve got coming through," he explained. "They want to know what they’re doing is for good, that what they’re doing is creating a legacy."

Hazarika said besides transforming geopolitics, Donald Trump was shaping business culture with his pushback against ESG and DEI, and asked Wilson for his outlook. "We actually talked about this last week," he said. "And with the DEI agenda, we will absolutely be doubling down on it. We will ensure we don’t take our foot off the pedal."

Wilson warned prospective employees wouldn’t tolerate inaction or tokenism. "The new generation that’s coming through, they just will not put up with it," he said. "And that’s something I get value and strength from in easyJet holidays. It gives me a lot of hope that we will go in the right direction."

Aviation, he added, also has work to do to remedy the gender and social splits within the sector, which will require "a lot of investment right down to grassroots level. "It’s extraordinarily important. And it’s not something we’ll address in the next two or three years. It’s a generational thing."

Turning to the wider industry, Wilson said travel and tourism carried huge human capital. "So many people work in it – unless you’re able to represent the community in which you’re present, unless you’re able to represent your customers through the make-up of your teams, it’s not going to feel authentic. People will know you’re doing it for profit, and nothing else."

In a subsequent session, Quinton Smith touched on some of Tui’s work on accessibility and neurodiversity, which Hazarika brought to a close by bringing the discussion back to the "hostile environment" in which businesses are having to operate with regards to these topics.

"I’d use really similar words to Gary," said Quinton Smith. "We’ve doubled down on both DEI and our approach to accessibility and sustainability. Customers want it, colleagues want it, partners want it. It’s ultimately the right thing to do, and it makes a difference."