It stated that only 45% of travel industry workers saw ED&I with a high level of importance – in contrast to a national average of 57% - and that people in travel are less likely to be “actively engaged” in workplace conversations around it.
As someone whose life’s work has been campaigning for ED&I across the travel industry – not just for women but in all its shapes and forms – reading this was dispiriting to say the least. However, it is worth unpicking some of the detail and the broader context here.
The study of 1,600 people looked at the views of employees across at least seven different industries ranging from education and healthcare to finance and the arts.
Broken down, the number representing each industry will be quite small to judge. Anything that stimulates meaningful discussion is worthy of attention, but my reflections are based more on the anecdotal evidence of what we see working in this area than the statistics in the report.
Given travel and tourism is about experiencing different nations and cultures around the world, it is considered inherently diverse. So, it is possible that people feel there is less of a need to talk about it formally.
However, this ‘diversity’ doesn’t play out in practice when we look at those working in our industry. We all look broadly the same and relate to each other in the same way, reinforcing the supposition that we have no problem, and resulting in the simple fact that not enough people care.
It often comes down to a lack of investment and accountability. There are very few people in positions such as head of ED&I, and without that sense of responsibility and priority, ED&I falls by the wayside.
Training and understanding is also important, which is why the companies that employ someone as part of Women in Travel’s employability programme receive lots of support from us to ensure that both the individual and the business thrive as a result.
Another finding of the research was that people in travel were more likely to find workplace conversations about ED&I “frustrating” and to “feel nervous” when ED&I is mentioned at work.
I see this regularly – many people lack the tools and language to start the important conversations. They don’t want to offend or enter into something that can become charged, so they don’t have the conversations at all.
Our industry continues to be dominated by male, white leaders, many of whom are increasingly aware of their privilege and concerned about saying the ‘wrong’ thing. This is why we created our Male Allyship Network - to provide a platform for mutual learning and to start to redress the balance by instigating change.
We also launched the International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum (IWTTF) as a safe space for open, honest and inclusive conversations to break down taboos. We don’t learn and grow by burying our heads in the sand.
Importantly, we need to celebrate the good work that is going on around us in ED&I, so that it doesn’t become a negative subject. We should accept that we are all on a journey - we might not be doing everything right, and there is always more to be done - but we are seeing progress.
It’s why this year we have launched our inaugural IWTTF awards – to shine a light on the excellent example being set by individuals and businesses that care about DEI and are making it a priority – so that we can all learn from and uplift each other.
Alessandra Alonso is founder and managing director of Women In Travel CIC
