Earlier this year, I saw a LinkedIn post from someone in a different industry which began this way. It sparked something in my brain, thinking about similar attitudes we have in travel.
A recent survey found that more than 10 million adults in the UK don’t drink alcohol on a regular basis. That’s a fifth of the total adult population, more than identify as LGBTQ+ and more than black, Asian, mixed or another ethnic group. Yet, more often than not, the travel industry isn’t inclusive to those who either choose not to drink or are medically not able to.
As a travel agent, it’s quite common for alcohol to be used as an incentive.
Whether it’s earning bottles of beer, cases of wine (and in some cases shaking for champagne) for making bookings; attending events where alcoholic drinks are the only option (although this is getting better), going on fam trips where a default itinerary option always appears to be a visit to a vineyard or brewery, or a culture where excessive drinking within the group is actively encouraged.
This comes from a generation where it was seen as the cultural norm. With this sometimes taken to extremes, it’s very easy to alienate those in the industry with a different cultural mindset and give a negative perception of a company or person.
However, as it’s “traditional”, it’s an easy default position to fall in to. Although we talk regularly about mental health, alcohol is inevitably linked to that and our physical health.
Should we be encouraging things like alcohol, which can be detrimental to both?
I have my own personal experience of what a drinking culture within an industry can turn into. My mum died of liver failure in 2021, after being diagnosed with liver disease a decade earlier.
She wasn’t an alcoholic, even though she loved an odd sherry, but it was the drinking culture within the industry she worked in years earlier which caused the damage.
The consequences are quite disturbing, having been admitted to hospital three times with sepsis, frequent infections, occasional memory loss and of course jaundice.
It’s incredibly debilitating and can happen even if you wouldn’t describe yourself as a big drinker.
To attract talent to our industry, we must look at the generations below us and understand what is important to them, to make them feel like travel is somewhere they want to call home.
With that in mind, the same survey found nearly a third of those under-25 don’t drink at all, a far higher proportion than that of 35-60’s where just 10% said they don’t drink – a category most current leaders in the industry fall.
Young professionals are also choosing to drink less. Our industry culture must be respectful and follow what is socially acceptable for those who will eventually replace us.
I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t drink – just to remember what the impact is on others.
I challenge the industry not to think of inclusivity as just gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical impairment or age, but other life choices too which set the tone of our community and culture.
Non-drinkers are no longer a minority group, with attitudes to alcohol in younger generations continuing to change.
Ashley Quint is a director at Berkhamsted-based travel agency, TravelTime World.
